Exotic Cua Van in Vietnam

Charming and enchanting, Ha Long Bay and its 4 villages are famous for their natural beauty. People are willing to travel from faraway places to Vietnam to visit them.

Among all of these fishing villages, the most beautiful and famous one is “Cua Van” situated on an emerald green bay surrounded by mountains and home to exotic marine life, caves perfect for adventurers and whoever is willing to explore. Here you will be able to enjoy the authentic and calm lifestyle of native people, most of which live in floating houses.

By looking at the small boats driven by kids going to school, at their radiant faces and at their rambunctious calling, you will really become a different person and learn a new way of seeing things.

In recent years, the locals at Cua Van village have been more engaged in the tourism industry in Ha Long Bay, making us hopeful for the future of the village and for its people.

Beside from fishing, many families also offer homestay and participate in the environmental awareness campaign. It’s no wonder why Cua Van has become a tourist attraction and has been present in the itinerary of almost all tourist agencies.

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Bordeaux

Located in the “Aquitaine region” in southern France, Bordeaux is the capital of wine and is full of bars where you can taste different varieties of delicious beverage, especially in the district of “Rue Parlement Saint-Pierre”; but before getting drunk here’s a list of things you’ll enjoy doing. First of all, remember that food in Bordeaux isn’t bad either as you can find some of the best typical dishes in entire France. Other than eating and drinking the city offers many wonderful places to visit starting with the “Miroir d’Eau” and the “Pey-Berland Tower” from where you can see all the city’s little houses and a lot more than we’ll let you discover along the way.

Strasbourg

It is located near the German border, and that’s probably why its Christmas market is one of the most beautiful ones in entire France, however, there’s something to do even while you are waiting for December. We suggest enjoying a picnic at the “Parc de l’Orangerie”, eating some “choucroute” (it is technically fermented cabbage but it actually tastes better than it sounds) and rushing to the cathedral at the sunset to enjoy the most breathtaking view of the city. Other than those great things, to enjoy the city at it’s best just start roaming along the river and get yourself lost among the coloured ancient houses.

Chamonix

If you waited until the hot chocolate season to visit Strasbourg’s Christmas markets, you can then come to Chamonix to experience skiing among the wonderful France mountains of the “Rhônes Alpes” region. This city is a pure haven for those who love winter sports. The town is also bustling with life and it offers some typical dishes that we’ll not reveal you just yet as we love to let you discover them during your travel, but be sure that those delicacies will leave you with a happy face.

Nice

This city is home to the “Promenade des Anglais” which is one of the best pebble beaches in France. Other things you can do are visiting the old town, “Castle Hill” and the “Musee National Marc Chagall”. It will be also super-important for you do not miss to see “St Jean Cap Ferrat”, where you can say to be visiting historical monuments while you’re actually just hanging at the beach.

Annecy

The city may not be one of France’s most famous, but this hidden gem will leave you completely amazed. First of all, you have to know that Annecy is also known as “Venice of French Alps” as it offers a mountainous landscape blended with the light-blue colour of the canals that cross the town, but other than that the city has plenty of attractions to keep you busy. As a final tip, be sure to not miss the “Château d’Annecy” from which you will get a splendid view of the town.

Toulouse

Also known as the Pink City, Toulouse is popular among students (that is a gentle way to say those who are looking for nightlife). In fact, you’ll find them in one of the squares of the city, as the “Place du Capitole” that is the most famous and impressive. From there, you can take one of the many streets that jut out from the square and continue exploring. But if you are more of a calm person, you could visit the relaxing Japanese garden close to the Congress centre.

Lille

Very close to Belgium in northern France, Lille is the perfect fit for you if you love to party as it is famous for the “Grande Braderie de Lille” which takes place in September when street markets are opened for 48 hours straight. It is also famous for cookery as Lille chefs are fond of soft waffles, fresh mussels and delicious fries. After that healthy and weird meal, you still have lots of things to do: for example, start by visiting the “Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille” or take part in one of the several sightseeing tours organised every day.

Saint-Malo

Situated in Brittany, this fortress city was first built upon a rocky island. There, you’ll have a chance to taste Breton delicacies such as savoury crêpes or kouign-amanns (which are round crusty cakes made with several layers of butter) throwing away several months of efforts in the gym, but it will be worth it. Finally, don’t miss the opportunity to take a ferry to Dinard, that will enable you to get the best view of Saint-Malo possible.

Nantes

“Nantes’ Château des ducs de Bretagne” is definitely one of the most surprising and fascinating things to visit in Nantes, but the city isn’t done yet as it offers many more things to do. The “Voyage à Nantes” tour is the best way to discover this city, you just need to make sure you follow the green line painted on the ground. At the end of the day, have a beer at “Le Nid”, a rooftop bar where you can enjoy the most amazing views over Nantes and take those perfect pics for Instagram that will force your friend to leave you alike.

Marseille

Last but not least, Marseille is located on the Mediterranean coast and is the most casual city of this list, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the worst. It is full of monuments and museums to see, but that one thing that will persuade you to come there is the “Vieux-Port” in which you can go lunch while relaxing and enjoying the view of the boats. There, you can also find street musicians and dance performers. If you ever get tired, you can always escape to the Calanques, steep valleys that have been partially submerged by a rise in sea level.

If you aren’t tired of eating those baguettes yet other beautiful places to visit are: Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence, Colmar and Riquewihr.

We hope you’ll have a great vacation but we also wish you to learn new things, because as way love to say here on Pound Travels: ”One’s destination is never a place. But always a new way of seeing things”.

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Cinque Terre

Its means ‘Five Lands’ and it is the name given to five villages, each one featuring stunning coastal and mountain landscapes as well as beautiful, classic architecture.

Until recently the whole area was linked only by mule tracks and accessible only by rail or water and still today the ancient system of footpaths is the best way to visit the five villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore which have been a popular touristic destination for a long time.

Cinque Terre has always been noted for their beauty. Over centuries, people have built terraces to cultivate grapes and olives on the rugged landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean Sea.

The view of the harbour below the wild coastline with its vibrant colours, along with the medieval fortresses, offers a timeless experience and a feel of authentic Italy.

It has also been recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site, as well as a National Park and Protected Marine Area with the aim of protecting its great cultural heritage and natural environment; definitively a memorable holiday.

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Júzcar

Nestled in the hills of Andalusia is Júzcar, a quiet town in Spain, in the province of Málaga that was known for its famous whitewashed walls.

In spring 2011, buildings in the village were painted smurf-blue to celebrate the premiere of the Smurfs movie. Even if the original agreement among Sony España and the mayor of Júzcar included painting the village white after the promotion ended, in December 2011, a special referendum was organised for the village residents to determine if the village would remain blue or revert to white; the referendum results indicated the village would continue as blue with no date for reverting to white.

One indication as to why might be that an estimated 95,000 tourists visited the village in the six months following the blue paint job; exactly 86.000 more than the visitors that came to the village the previous year.

The five villages are very close to one another, so there’s no need to stay in a different one every night; choose one town as a home base, and visit the others by train or foot. Keep in mind that most of the lodging available in the Cinque Terre is in privately run B&Bs and room or apartment rentals. There are few hotels, so you’ll want to start your search early and check for availability at multiple properties. Expect a bit of lag time on requests made by email.

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Bibury

Easily one of the most beautiful small towns in England: Bibury is a little town in Gloucestershire Cotswolds. The town consists of stone buildings all strung along the banks of the River Coln, which is a Thames tributary.

The main tourist attraction here is the Arlington Row, a picturesque row of weavers’ cottages built around the 14th century, overlooking a meadow and the river and depicted on the inside cover of all United Kingdom passports.

It is a major destination for tourists who want to visit the traditional rural village, the tea houses and the historic buildings of the Cotswold District.

It is one of six places in the country featured in Mini-Europe and it’s worth a trip.

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Ait Ben-Haddou

Ait-Ben-Haddou is a traditional southern Morocco fortified village made from clay bricks. The village lies in a valley near the Atlas Mountains, along with an important former trade route and thirty-two miles from the bustling capital of Morocco.

Historically, merchant traversed the Sahara Trade Route and passed through the town carrying spices and gold on their way elsewhere. As the use of this established trade route faded, many fortresses in Ait-Ben-Haddou were abandoned and have since become preserved relics.

Nowadays most citizens attracted by the tourist trade live in more modern dwellings in a village on the other side of the river, although there are four families still living in the ancient village, that are great examples of Moroccan architecture.

Aït Benhaddou has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and it is definitively worth a trip.

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Ortahisar

Ortahisar is a Turkey village that is becoming increasingly popular among tourists for its beauty and for its jugged castle. Even if surrounding towns became more touristic, Ortahisar managed to remain traditional, rustic, charming and most important: slow-paced.

Donkey carts rattle down the lanes regularly, elderly men mooch all day outside teashops and if you visit the village in April when the citrus storage caves are thrown open, the scent of lemons permeates the town.

Ortahisar is famous for its friendly inhabitants, picturesque stone houses, narrow streets and lovely churches as well as the castle-like rock formation after which the town is named. This 90m high natural fortress, a prominent landmark in the region – honeycombed with caves and tunnels, camouflaged by nature without the slightest indication of human presence inside – has partly crumbled away revealing some of its interiors. Today it has been restored and the peak is accessible by a staircase. The Ortahisar Castle offers a magnificent panorama over the fairy chimneys of Hallacdere and the snowy peak of Mt. Erciyes.

If you follow the street close to the main fortress, you can visit Ali Reis Church with Christ on the main dome. If you keep on the main street down south you can see the Balkan Deresi up to the Balkan Churches. Some churches in the vicinity of Ortahisar have been opened recently. Keep right for 2 km when leaving Urgup towards Mustafapasa (Sinasos), after 1 km you will see the yellow signs for the Sarica Church and the Kepez Church. Another kilometre will take you to Pancarlik Church in Pancarlik Valley, which has very fine frescoes on its ceiling.

Enjoy the city at its best by having a drink and a meal in an underground cave bar, marvel at a 78-meter high castle and, if you are brave enough, explore the underground cave storage where citrus fruits are stashed until they ripen.

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Situated between “Hallstätter” and the “Dachstein mountains”, Hallstatt is Austria’s oldest and its most photographed village. This stunning town includes beautiful old churches, a subterranean salt lake, a museum with 7,000-year-old artefacts and a breath-taking landscape featuring a glass-like lake and massive mountains. All of these contribute to make the village a UNESCO world heritage site. Despite its beauty, the village it’s scarcely populated with only 860 people living there, definitively not a crowded place!

It is also known for its World’s First Salt Mine and the stunning salt caves which can be visited by tourists. The ice caves are also fascinating. When you get to Hallstatt, be sure not miss out on visiting the Cultural Heritage Museum and the Beinhaus (“Bone House”), in order to get familiarized with the history of the place.

Getting there is possible by train. (From the main line between Salzburg and Vienna, get off at Attnang-Puchheim. Take a train from here towards Bad Ischl and Obertraun. The Hallstatt station is south of Bad Ischl and one stop north of Obertraun; it is on the east bank of the Hallstättersee (Hallstatt Lake) and consist of just a boat dock next to the tracks.

Regular ferry service will meet each arriving train and take you to the town across the lake. One of the best views of Hallstatt is from this ferry ride across the lake, especially in the morning when the sun is shining on the town.

Final tip – Every season looks very different here so chose wisely when to go!

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Villages in Beautiful Mountains

When deciding what village to feature in this article, we have been really in trouble. The fact is that there are too many beautiful and amazing villages to choose only one among all of them. That’s why we’ll feature 3 different places, from 3 different part of the world in this article, all of which is definitively worth a visit.

1) Wengen, Switzerland
Wengen was an alpine farming community but has become a touristic town teeming with visitors eager to ski the snow-covered slopes in the Winter and hike trails in the Summer. Despite the influx of tourists, the mountain village has retained it’s homestyle.

2) Larung Gar, Tibet
At the end of the vast Tibetan Plateau is the monastery town Larung Gar, the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute of the world. This historical and religious site’s buildings currently face a threat of demolition, and unless the international community acts quickly this beautiful Tibetan village will soon be no more, so get the chance to visit it now.

3) Palangan, Iran
Palangan is a little-known rural Iranian village with an estimated population of 1000 inhabitants. Tucked in the valley with the Tangi Var River flowing through it, houses are etched out on the sloping valley sides in a terraced manner. Locals express their cultural heritage through dancing and singing, and commonly enjoy country life by picnicking on the river’s banks and taking shade under the trees.

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Ping’an

Ping’an Village rests atop the peak of Longsheng, along with the famous rice terraces, 1200 meters above sea-level.
Here old traditions and local culture are still thriving for all of the 50 families living there. A famous example is that Yao women in the village only cut their hair once during their lifetime and that’s when they become adults at the age of 18 years.

If you have a chance to see the long hair show performed by the Yao women, you will see that there are three bunches of hair on their head. The first bunch is the natural hair growing on their head. The second bunch is the hair which was cut off when they were 18 years old. The third bunch of hair comes from the hair which falls out when they comb their hair daily.

The village features scenic narrow mountain roads leading to the peak and offering a splendid view of the vast rice fields made up on different terrace levels, each one nicknamed by locals according to their varying shapes.

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