USA - Arizona - Tucson

TUCSON
ARIZONA
Full moon rising over the city lights.

Sent by Ingrid, a postcrosser from Sonoran Desert in Arizona, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Tucson ( /ˈtuːsɒn/ TOO-son) is the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States and is the home of the state's first university, The University of Arizona. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 while the entire Tucson metropolitan area's population is 1,020,200. Tucson is the second largest populated city in Arizona behind Phoenix, which both anchor the Arizona Sun Corridor. The city is located 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Tucson is the 32nd largest city and 52nd largest metropolitan area in the United States. Roughly 150 Tucson companies are involved in the design and manufacture of optics and optoelectronics systems, earning Tucson the nickname Optics Valley.

Major incorporated suburbs of Tucson include Oro Valley and Marana northwest of the city, Sahuarita south of the city, and South Tucson in an enclave south of downtown. Communities in the vicinity of Tucson (some within or overlapping the city limits) include Casas Adobes, Catalina Foothills, Flowing Wells, Tanque Verde, Tortilita, New Pascua, Sahuarita and Vail. Towns outside the Tucson metro area include Benson to the southeast, Catalina and Oracle to the north, and Green Valley to the south.

The English name Tucson derives from the Spanish name of the city, Tucsón [tukˈson], which was borrowed from the O'odham name Cuk Ṣon [tʃʊk ʂɔːn], meaning "(at the) base of the black [hill]", a reference to an adjacent volcanic mountain. Tucson is sometimes referred to as "The Old Pueblo".

USA - Virginia - Bruton Parish Church

Fall colors surround historic Bruton Parish Church. Completed in 1715, it served our colonial leaders and is still serving the community today as one of the oldest Episcopal Churches.

Sent by Cindy, a WiP partner from Maryland, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Bruton Parish Church is located in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. It was established in 1674 in the Virginia Colony, and remains an active Episcopal parish.

The roots of Bruton Parish Church trace back to both the Church of England and the new settlement of the Colony of Virginia at Jamestown in the early 17th century. The role of the church and its relationship to the government had been established by King Henry VIII some years earlier. The same relationship was established in the new colony.

France - Burgundy - 21 Cote d'Or - Mapcard

21 Cote d'Or department in France.

Sent by Damien from Limoges, France.

This is from Wikipedia : Côte-d'Or (IPA: [kot dɔːʁ]; English: Golden Hillside) is a department in the eastern part of France.

Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.

The department is part of the current region of Bourgogne. It is surrounded by the departments of Yonne, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Jura, Aube, and Haute-Marne.

A chain of hills called the Plateau de Langres runs from north-east to south-west through the department to the north of Dijon and continues south-westwards as the Côte d'Or escarpment, which is named from the department's name. It is the south-east facing slope of the escarpment which is the site of the celebrated Burgundy vineyards. To the west of the Plateau de Langres, towards Champagne, lies the densely wooded district of Châtillonais. To the south-east of the plateau and escarpment, the department lies in the broad, flat-bottomed valley of the middle course of the Saône.

South Africa - Pietermaritzburg - City Hall

The city centre with a view of City Hall, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Sent by Batu, a postcrosser from South Africa.

Pietermaritzburg's City Hall, which claims to be the largest brick building in the southern hemisphere, lies in the middle of the Pietermaritzburg city centre. The building is a national monument and is a beautiful piece of Victorian architecture, with its 47m high bell tower. Constructed in 1893, the building was ravaged by fire in 1895, with reconstruction taking place some six years later.

On entering the hall one is struck by the magnificent stained glass displays and massive pipe organ, which is the largest south of the equator. Various exhibitions and concerts are held at the City Hall, including frequent visits by the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Just outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall stands a 5.5kg naval gun known as the One O’Clock Gun, for the obvious reason that it used to fire every day at exactly one o’clock, with the exception of Sundays. The gun’s history is rich, starting with its journey during the 1840s on the HMS Fawn. The ship carried out the worthy cause of capturing slave ships and releasing their human cargo, ultimately putting an end to the slave trade.

In 1847 the HMS Fawn was sent to Durban to reinforce Port Natal as it was then known. The ship ran aground some twenty months later, on exiting the harbour, and was subsequently scrapped. The gun was transferred to Durban’s Point where it stood for some time until it was moved to Pietermaritzburg, to serve as the one o’clock gun or to announce the arrival of post from Durban. The gun was once again conscripted during the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War, and was placed in its current location in 1901, where it has stood for over a century.(Source)

China - The Spirit of Xue Daqing Jingshen (学大庆精神)

Designer: Ha Qiongwen (哈琼文)
1965, June
Study the spirit of Xue Daqing jingshen (学大庆精神)
Publisher: Shanghai renmin meishu chubanshe (上海人民美术出版社)
Size: 77x50.5 cm.
Call number: BG E13/950 (Landsberger collection)

Sent by zhoubingchen, a postcrosser from China.

The Daqing oilfield, in the cold north-east of China, becomes the national example for industrial development. Workers obtain a high production, inspired by Mao Zedong's thoughts (see the book in the coat pocket). "Iron Man" Wang Jinxi, the drill operator pictured here, becomes a model in his own right.(Source)

Poland - Kudowa-Zdrój

Views of Kudowa-Zdrój in Poland.

Sent by Karolina, a postcrosser from Warsaw, Poland.

This is from Wikipedia : Kudowa-Zdrój [kuˈdɔva ˈzdrui̯] (German: Bad Kudowa, Czech: Chudoba) is a town situated in the foothills of the Stołowe Mountains in the southwestern part of Poland, in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, about 400 m above sea level. It has a population of about 10,000. It is located right at the Polish-Czech border, just across from the Czech town of Náchod, and some 40 km west of Kłodzko.

Kudowa-Zdrój is a historic spa town where heart and circulation system diseases were cured. In the downtown area, there is a park, styled on 17th century revival, with exotic plants and a mineral water pump room. Due to its location, the town is a used as a place for tourism, walking, biking, and as the departure point for trips. Among notable locations of the region is The Chapel of Skulls and The Moving Nativity Scene in Czermna, The Basilica in Wambierzyce, The Bear Cave in Kletno or the heritage park in Pstrążna as well the natural surroundings of the nearby Table Mountains. It is situated 3 kilometers from the centre of the town to the Czech border and about 140 kilometers to Praha, the capital of the Czech Republic.

Kudowa-Zdrój is one of the oldest spa resorts in Poland and Europe. It is first mentioned in a document by Henry the Older, son of the Hussite Czech king George of Podebrady. The original name of the village was Lipolitov, but in the mid-16th century it was changed to Chudoba, later on Kudoba (Cudoba in 19th century), Bad Kudowa and in 1945 into Kudowa-Zdrój.

The oldest part of Kudowa is Czermna, dating back to the 16th century. The first record of a mineral waters in the area comes from 1580 from the chronicles of Louis of Náchod, under the name Cermenske Lazne.

In 1625 (or, as some sources say, as early as 1621), G. Aelurius, a Protestant Lutheran monk in his work "Glaciografia" writes about the great taste of the mineral waters from Kudowa, how healthy they were and that they were used for winemaking.

The first owner of the spa was a former military commander from Thirty Years War Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583–1634), and after him his brother-in-law Count A. E. Terzky from Nachod in Bohemia.

Devices for healing baths were known from 1630, and made from wood. A scholary description of Kudowa's waters was made by doctor Kramer in scientific work from 1694. In 1777 a publishing company from Breslau „Kornów” printed a Polish guide describing Kudowa, written by Daniel Vogl.

In 1847 Kudowa was visited by 300 patients. In 1850 A. Duflos made a chemical analysis of the local waters and claimed they have healing traits. Local doctor J. Jacob, helped in establishing the thesis that Kudowa is a spa helping of heart related diseases, which made significant impact of the number of people visiting the town. In 1900 the number of people who visited was 4,150. A famous visitor of the town was Helmut von Moltke together with his family. Thanks to development of business organizations, a railway line to Glatz and a local power plant the spa grew and in 1906 8.000 visitors attended its facilities. Among the guests one of the more famous people was Winston Churchill. In 1920 the Gebrüder Martin und Paul Polka O.H.G. company bought the largest spa resort of the town. From 1911 to 1931 Raphael Friedeberg worked as a physician in the Spa.

In 1871-1945 Bad Kudowa in the county of Glatz was part of the state of Germany as Bad Kudowa in the province of Lower Silesia. After 1945 most German inhabitants were forcibly expelled and replaced by Polish settlers. After becoming part of Poland it received city rights for the first time in its history. Before 1945 a minority of ethnic Czechs lived in Kudowa-Zdrój (then Bad Kudowa). Small groups of Germans and Czechs continued to live in Kudowa until 1960, and a German school and a Czech-speaking school existed in the town from 1951–1960 and from 1947-1955.

Martta Wendelin (22)

Martta Wendelin.

Sent by Tuula, a postcrosser from Finland.

USA - Colorado - Mesa Verde National Park (4)

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
COLORADO
Located in Mesa Verde National Park, these ancient dwellings date back 800 years. The Ancestral Puebloans built these incredible sandstone structures high within the Mancos and Montezuma Valleys.

Sent by Nikki, a postcrosser from Atlanta, USA.

Germany - Fritz-Walter-Stadion

The Fritz-Walter-Stadion, the home to the FC Kaiserslautern.

Sent by André, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Fritz-Walter-Stadion is the home to the Bundesliga club 1. FC Kaiserslautern and is located in the city of Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also one of the stadiums used in the 2006 World Cup. It is named after Fritz Walter, who played for the Kaiserslautern club throughout his career and was captain of the Germany national football team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup in the "Legend of Bern". The Stadium was built on the Betzenberg Hill, hence its nickname "Betze", and was opened in 1920.

In preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2006, the stadium underwent a 76,5 million Euro renovation beginning in 2002 that added a media center, installed a new floodlight system, and increased capacity from 38,500, of which 18,600 were standing, to 48,500, of which 16,363 are standing.

Singapore - Singacat

Singacat by Sakchai Pengprakon.

Sent by Madeline, a postcrosser from Singapore.

Bicycles (14)

Glückskind or Lucky Fellow.

Sent by Franziska, a postcrosser from Munich, Germany.

USA - New York - Central Park - Strawberry Fields

Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York City.

Sent by Amanda, a WiP partner from Florida, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) landscaped section in New York City's Central Park that is dedicated to the memory of the musician John Lennon. It is named after The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever".

The Central Park memorial was designed by Bruce Kelly, the chief landscape architect for the Central Park Conservancy. Strawberry Fields was dedicated on what would have been Lennon's 45th birthday, 9 October 1985, by New York Mayor Ed Koch and Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, who had underwritten the project.

The entrance to the memorial is located on Central Park West at West 72nd Street, directly across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon had lived for the later part of his life, and where he was murdered. The memorial is a triangular piece of land falling away on the two sides of the park, and its focal point is a circular pathway mosaic of inlaid stones, with a single word, the title of Lennon's famous song: "Imagine". This was a gift from the city of Naples. Along the borders of the area surrounding the mosaic are benches which are endowed in memory of other individuals and maintained by the Central Park Conservancy. Along a path toward the southeast, a plaque on a low glaciated outcropping of schist lists the nations which contributed to building the memorial. Yoko Ono who still lives in The Dakota, contributed over a million dollars for the landscaping and for the upkeep endowment.

The mosaic is at the heart of a series of open and secret glades of lawn and glacier-carved rock outcroppings, bounded by shrubs and mature trees and woodland slopes, all designated a "quiet zone". A woodland walk winds through edge plantings between the glade-like upper lawn and the steep wooded slopes; it contains native rhododendrons and hollies, Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), viburnums, and Jetbead. Wild shrub roses and a mature pink Magnolia × soulangeana flank the main walk. At the farthest northern tip of the upper series of lawns enclosed by woodland are three Dawn Redwood trees, which lose their needles but regain them every spring, an emblem of eternal renewal. The trees can be expected to reach a height of 36 metres (118 ft) within 100 years, and eventually they will be visible from great distances in the park.

The memorial is often covered with flowers, candles in glasses, and other belongings left behind by Lennon fans. On Lennon's birthday (October 9) and on the anniversary of his death (December 8), people gather to sing songs and pay tribute, staying late into what is often a cold night.

Impromptu memorial gatherings for other musicians, including Jerry Garcia and George Harrison, have occurred at the memorial. Many times, particularly in the summer and on the anniversaries of birthdays of the other members of The Beatles, gatherings take place at the site. In the days following the September 11, 2001 attacks, candlelight vigils were held at the Imagine Circle to remember those killed. On the thirtieth anniversary of John Lennon's death, vigils were also held here for him.

One of its best-known visitors is Gary dos Santos, a fan of The Beatles who decorates the memorial in circles of different flowers and objects, often in the shape of a peace sign.

United Kingdom - England - Ironbridge Gorge

Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire.

Sent by Anu, a postcrosser from England.

The Coalbrookdale blast furnace and Ironbridge exerted great influence on the development of techniques and architecture. Ironbridge Gorge provides a fascinating summary of the development of an industrial region in modern times. Mining centres, transformation industries, manufacturing plants, workers' quarters and transport networks are sufficiently well-preserved to make up a coherent ensemble whose educational potential is considerable. The Coalbrookdale blast furnace perpetuates in situ the creative effort of Abraham Darby I, who discovered coke iron in 1709. It is a masterpiece of man's creative genius in the same way as Ironbridge, which is the first known metal bridge, built in 1779 by Abraham Darby III from the drawings of the architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.

Ironbridge Gorge is located in the county of Shropshire, some 30km northwest of Birmingham in the the narrow Severn valley upstream from its confluence with the Caldebrook River in Coalbrookdale. Ironbridge Gorge is an example representative of the main techniques of the industrial age.

It is an extraordinary concentration of mining zones, foundries, factories, workshops and warehouses, which coexists with an old network of lanes, paths, roads, ramps, canals and railroads, as well as substantial remains of traditional landscape and housing, the forests of the Severn Gorge, ironmasters' houses, workers' living quarters, public buildings and infrastructure equipment of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Since 1968, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has coordinated actions in the areas of discovery, conservation and exploitation of the valley's heritage in addition to providing sound management of museums, monuments and sites and thereby acting as a pioneer in the field of industrial archaeology.

In the area there are five major areas of interest:

• Coalbrookdale: This is where in 1709 the Quaker Abraham Darby I developed the coke-based iron production technique which began the great 18th century steel revolution. There still remains a high concentration of 18th- and 19th-century dwellings, warehouses, churches and chapels in the town. The Great Warehouse contains an iron museum.
• Ironbridge: The locality where mining and metallurgical activity began in the 17th century draws its name from the iron bridge erected in 1779, which also serves to designate the entire region of the Severn Gorges.
• Hay Brook valley: Downstream from Madeley in the low valley of this small tributary of the Severn River, a large open air museum was set up on Blists Hill. Extraction galleries, shafts with their head-frames and blast furnaces have been preserved.
• Jackfield: A small town located on the south bank of the Severn made its living from coal mining, clay production and navigation. It was the valley's port of registry.
• Coalport: This town is located at the far east end of the protected zone on the north bank of the Severn, which is spanned by a metal bridge from 1780-1818. The high point of this town is the porcelain manufacturing plant founded by John Rose at the end of the 18th century which closed down only in 1926. Today it is a porcelain museum. (Source)

USA - Illinois - Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

CAHOKIA MOUNDS STATE HISTORIC SITE
and Interpretive Center
Collinsville, Illinois

Panorama, Life-size Neighborhood Diorama; the Cahokia neighborhood diorama, as seen from the Theatre shows, men, women and children involved in daily activities. Mirrored walls repeat the scenes, creating the impression of a vast community.

Sent by Brandon from Missouri, USA.

This is from UNESCO : Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the most comprehensive affirmation of the pre-Columbian civilizations in the Mississippi region. It is an early and eminent example of pre-urban structuring, which provides an opportunity to study a type of social organization, on which written sources are silent.

The archaeological site of Cahokia, so named for a subtribe of the Illini who occupied the area when the French arrived, serves as a point of reference for the study of pre-Columbian civilizations in the area of the Mississippi from approximately 900 to 1600. Within the vast zone of plains and plateaux the occupation of the land and the population development underwent an original evolution during the last phase of prehistory, characterized at once by agricultural advances and by a social system which favoured urban concentration. Anthropologists have estimated a sedentary population of an average of 10,000 inhabitants whose social and professional organization, lifestyle and funerary rites have been brought to light by a series of excavations.

Fascinating information about the people who once built the great prehistoric city of Cahokia was revealed accidentally during excavations in the early 1960s. Dr Warren Wittry was studying excavation maps when he observed that numerous large oval-shaped pits seemed to be arranged in arcs of circles. He theorized that posts set in these pits lined up with the rising Sun at certain times of the year, serving as a calendar, which he called Woodhenge. Fragments of wood remaining in some of the post pits revealed that red cedar, a sacred wood, had been used for the posts. The most spectacular sunrise occurs at the equinoxes, when the Sun rises due east. The post marking these sunrises aligns with the front of Monks Mound, where the leader resided, and it looks as though Monks Mound gives birth to the Sun.

The limits of the site are defined by a number of earthwork levees comparable to the enceinte of the protohistoric European oppida. Within this circumvallation, space is rationally distributed between living quarters, zones of specialized activities and public ceremonial areas. Small gardens were attached to each living unit but the cultivated lands were essentially found outside the circumvallation, where a series of small satellite villages were located.

The architecture of Cahokia is based on the exclusive use of two materials: earth and wood. The omnipresent forms are those of mounds, when either served as mottes or as funerary tumuli. The dwellings consisted of posts or of wooden palisades. The wooden palisades could serve equally as well as defensive enclosures. In the 12th century, the entire central sector of the site, including the largest (Monks) mound, which is a testament to the sophisticated engineering skills of these people. It had been encircled by such a palisade, which took the form of a bastioned enceinte. Excavation results suggest the existence of a markedly hierarchical social structure, incorporating an interior city where the centre of power was located.

The third circle (AD 1000) was reconstructed in 1985 at the original location. Red ochre pigment found in some of the postholes suggests the posts may have been painted.

Associated with Round Top, Mound 60 is a large, rectangular platform mound known as the Fox Mound. These two mounds seem to be united by a platform as a contour line surrounds them both on the map. The contour may, however, only represent a blending of the slope wash, or talus slopes, of the two mounds coming together. They probably were a unit because the relationship to each other is matched by other paired mounds at the site. They seem strongly reminiscent of the association of platform charnel-house mounds and conical burial mounds in this ethno-historic period of the south-eastern United States.

USA - Idaho - The Palouse (2)

This beautiful setting is typical of the area known as the Palouse. This area has some of the most fertile farm ground in America.

Sent by Grace, a postcrosser from Idaho, USA.

Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)

Eagle Owl or Eusrasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo).

Sent by Lyuda, a postcrosser from Minsk, Belarus.

This is from Wikipedia : The Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle owl resident in much of Eurasia. It is also one of the largest types of owls.

The Eagle Owl is a very large and powerful bird, smaller than the Golden Eagle but larger than the Snowy Owl. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, although Blakiston's Fish Owl is slightly heavier on average and the Great Grey Owl is slightly longer on average. The Eagle Owl has a wingspan of 138–200 cm (55–79 in) and measures 58–75 cm (23–30 in) long. Females weigh 1.75-4.5 kg (3.9-10 lbs) and males weigh 1.5-3.2 kg (3.3-7 lbs). In comparison, the Barn Owl weighs about 500 grams (1.1 lbs) and the Great Horned Owl, roughly the Eagle Owl's ecological equivalent in North America, weighs around 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs).

The great size, ear tufts and orange eyes make this a distinctive species. The ear tufts of males are more upright than those of females. The upperparts are brown-black and tawny-buff, showing as dense freckling on the forehead and crown, stripes on the nape, sides and back of the neck, and dark splotches on the pale ground colour of the back, mantle and scapulars. A narrow buff band, freckled with brown buff, runs up from the base of the bill, above the inner part of the eye and along the inner edge of the black-brown ear tufts. The rump and upper tail-coverts are delicately patterned with dark vermiculations and fine wavy barring. The facial disc is tawny-buff, speckled with black-brown, so densely on the outer edge of the disc as to form a "frame" around the face. The chin and throat are white continuing down the center of the upper breast. The whole of the underparts except for chin, throat and centre of upper breast is covered with fine dark wavy barring, on a tawny-buff ground colour. Legs and feet are likewise marked on a buff ground colour but more faintly. The tail is tawny-buff, mottled dark grey-brown with about six black-brown bars. This plumage may vary slightly in different subspecies but is consistently distinctive. Bill and claws are black, the iris is orange (yellow in some subspecies).

Finland - Joensuu (2)

Joensuu, Finland.

Sent by Leena, a postcrosser from Joensuu, Finland.

Russia - Kursk - Maryino

Sent by Evgeny from Kursk, Russia. Thanks for the beautiful big stamps.

Russia - Kursk - Znamensky Cathedral

Sent by Evgeny from Kursk, Russia.

Russia - Kursk - The Kapystichy Church

Sent by Evgeny from Kursk, Russia.

Dominica (1)

SALYBIA, EAST NORTH EAST
Unspoilt ... Untouched ... Natural!

Sent by Deslyn from Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica.

This is from Wikipedia : Dominica (/ˌdɒmɪˈniːkə/ DOM-i-NEE-kə; French: Dominique; Carib: Waitikubuli), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi) and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of 1,447 metres (4,747 ft). The Commonwealth of Dominica has an estimated population of 72,500. The capital is Roseau.

Dominica has been nicknamed the "Nature Isle of the Caribbean" for its unspoiled natural beauty. It is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity, as evidenced by the world's second-largest boiling lake. The island features lush mountainous rainforests, home of many rare plant, animal, and bird species. There are xeric areas in some of the western coastal regions, but heavy rainfall can be expected inland. The Sisserou Parrot (also known as the Imperial Amazon), the island's national bird, is featured on the national flag. Dominica's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, agriculture and heavy taxation.

Christopher Columbus named the island after the day of the week on which he spotted it, a Sunday (dominica in Latin), November 3, 1493. In the hundred years after Columbus's landing, Dominica remained isolated, and even more Caribs settled there after being driven from surrounding islands as European powers entered the region. France formally ceded possession of Dominica to the United Kingdom in 1763. The United Kingdom then set up a government and made the island a colony in 1805.

The emancipation of African slaves occurred throughout the British Empire in 1834, and, in 1838, Dominica became the first British Caribbean colony to have a legislature controlled by a black majority. In 1896, the United Kingdom reassumed governmental control of Dominica, turning it into a Crown colony. Half a century later, from 1958 to 1962, Dominica became a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation. In 1978, Dominica became an independent nation.

Dominica (2)

DOMINICA AT A GLANCE
An unforgettable natural experience. A visit to beautiful tropical Gardens filled with blooming flowers, towering trees and tropical vegetation, complimented with thunderous refreshing waterfalls and charming populace.

Sent by Deslyn from Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica.

Dominica - Carib Indians

CARIB INDIANS

Sent by Deslyn from Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica.

The mixed descendants of the last Island Caribs who inhabited the Lesser Antilles live on the north-east coast of Dominica. This simple fact has been so exaggerated and distorted over the last thirty years of tourism publicity, that there tends to be much misunderstanding, bewilderment and eventual disappointment among visitors who come to view the Carib Territory as one of the ‘attractions’ of Dominica.

When the British formally took over in 1763 European conquest was complete. British surveyors divided the island up into lots for sale and plantations were established around the island. Only 232 acres of mountainous land and rocky shoreline at Salybia were left for the Caribs. This was done, legend has it, at the request of Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. This subsequently developed into the myth that Charlotte had left them half of Dominica — a myth which today many older Caribs consider, erroneously, to be an historical fact.

For another 130 years the Caribs were left to themselves, shadowy figures hardly seen by the growing Creole society of African slaves, free men and European officials and landowners. Now and then they appeared in the estate yards and at Sunday markets to sell baskets and fish, but quickly dissolved into the mountains once more along forest tracks towards Salybia.

When Sir Robert Hamilton was sent out by the British Colonial Office as Commissioner in 1893 to find out why Dominica was: more backward and less developed than almost any other of the islands, and why its people were: less prosperous and contented than HerMajesty’s other West Indian subjects, he received a tragic little letter from the Caribs:

In the name of God. My Lord, We humble beg of your kindness to accept our petition of your poor people, Indians or Caraibe, of Salibia, to ... emplore the marcy of our Beloved Mother and Queen Victoria, for her poor and unfortunate childrens. We dont have nothings to support us, no church, no school, no shope, no store. We are very far in the forest; no money, no dress . . . They call us u’ild savages. No my beloved Queen, it is not savages but poverty. We humble kneel down in your feet to beg of your assistance. Accept your humble childrens of Salibia. (Source)

Dominica - Trafalgar Falls

TRAFALGAR FALLS
When deciding to escape the hustle and bustle of life, experience complete relaxation in a World Heritage Site and National Park. It is part of Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Deslyn from Roseau in Commonwealth of Dominica.

This is from UNESCO : Morne Trois Pitons is located 13 km east of the town of Roseau in the highlands of south-central Dominica and it is the basaltic spike-like remains of a former volcano rising to approximately 1,300 m, within 8 km of the sea.

The landscape is characterized by volcanic piles with precipitous slopes, and deeply incised valleys (glacis slopes). There is also a fumarole known as Valley of Desolation (or Grand Soufriere), with fumaroles, hot springs, mud pots, sulphur vents and the Boiling Lake, which is the world's second largest of its kind. The valley is a large amphitheatre surrounded by mountains and consisting of at least three separate craters where steam vents, small ponds, and hot springs bubble up through the ground. Boiling Lake is surrounded by cliffs and is almost always covered by clouds of steam. The Valley of Desolation drains into the Pointe Mulatre River, which flows into the Atlantic.

Other outstanding features in the area include the Emerald Pool, fed by the Middleham Falls; Stinking Hole, a lava tube in the middle of the forest; and the Boeri and Freshwater lakes. The Freshwater Lake is the largest and second deepest of Dominica's four freshwater lakes. The Boeri Lake is the second largest in Dominica, and is located in the crater of an extinct volcano. Both lakes are separated from each other by Morne Macaque (1,221 m) and vary in depth with the season. Both are thought to have originated some 25,000-30,000 years ago. The park also encompasses almost all the headwaters of the streams and rivers in the southern half of the island.

Five natural vegetation zones are recognized within the area, plus a small patch of encroaching agricultural land.

Elfin/cloud forest, which occurs at the highest elevations, above 914 m, and is almost constantly covered by mist and subject to high winds, rain and cold temperatures. Main vegetation types consist of mosses, ferns, shrubs and stunted trees covered by lichens.

* Montane thicket, which is transitional between elfin and montane forests, is dominated by spindly trees. The most common tree found on steep slopes is Podocarpus coriaceus, the island's only native conifer.
* Montane rainforest, which grows above 610m, is frequently in cloud cover or fog. The species composition is similar to that of mature rainforest, yet much reduced in stature. Non-vascular epiphytes cover most montane rainforest plants.
* Mature rainforest, which grows below 460m. This zone contains the most luxuriant growth.

The occurrence of at least 7 species of mammal, 50 birds, 12 reptiles and amphibians and 12 crustaceans is indicated. Apart from introduced opossum and agouti, there are no terrestrial mammals in the area. Other introduced mammals include feral cats and pigs and rats.

Birds include imperial Amazon and red-necked Amazon parrots. Imperial Amazon was formerly common but is now threatened in Dominica. Red-necked Amazon was also a commonly seen species, but now is rarely observed in only a few small areas of the park.

There are no poisonous snakes in Dominica. Boa grows to 3.6 m in length and is common in Morne Trois Pitons. Three species of lizards, including the endemic, exist in the park.

South Korea - Mount Sorakson Nature Reserve

Mount Sorakson Nature Reserve.

Sent by Samara, a postcrosser from Camp Walker in Daegu, South Korea. The stamps were postmarked at Army Post Office (APO).

This is from UNESCO : Located in the eastern part of the central Korean peninsula, Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve covers an area of 163.6 square kilometers. This region includes many high peaks measuring over 1,200 meters above sea level including Taech'ongbong, the highest peak (1,708 meters). It is part of a complicated mountain ranges of strongly dissected granite and gneiss and is characterized by spectacular rocky hills and ridges. The magnificent natural beauty of Mt. Soraksan is due to these geographical features. Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve region is considered to be a floristically diverse area. More than 822 vascular plant species have been recorded in the region, including rare plants such as Hanabusaya Asiatic and Abios nephrolepis. The fauna includes 49~5 species of birds and mammals. In particular, endangered species such as the Dryocopos javensis richardsi, Naemorheudus goral raddeanus, and Moschus moschiferus parvipes are considered to be of major conservation significance. In addition to the plants and animals, biologically important and rare fish such as Brachmystax lenok and Moroco oxycephalus are also desere to be protected and preserved. Famous for its beautiful landscape and valuable cultural properties including Paektamsa (Buddhist temple) and Shinhungsa (Buddhist temple), Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve is considered to be one of the most popular tourist resorts which attracts a great number of people every year.