What's New for 2012?

Kindle Travel

The Kindle electronic book reader from Amazon has opened up several new worlds of travel to be enjoyed by young and old. The present and future travel is enhanced by the ready download of Lonely Planet Guide books of any country desired, for a modest cost of between $10 and $18 per guide book, which is at a discount from the real paper book edition that may require postage for delivery. An e-book saves lugging around heavy books when traveling or backpacking across multiple countries.

Traveling in the past, or armchair travel, is well catered for by Kindle. I have been enjoying many Kindle travel books which are classics, such as Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" which is a funny account of a boating holiday along the River Thames ca 1885. Then if you are a fan of Latin America what could be better than being absorbed by one of the first travel books written by a woman, "Life in Mexico" by Madame Calderon de la Barca, a Scots lady who married the Spanish Minister to the US. The book is a detailed account of her two years traveling through out Mexico in the years 1839-41. If you have ever traveled in Mexico and are familiar with the geography this is a fascinating book. Both these old travel books are free Kindle downloads, but first buy your Kindle from Amazon. Cheers, Allano

"Chill out in Puerto Varas, Chilean Lake District"

Puerto Varas is my favorite town to visit and linger awhile in the Chilean Lake District. It vies in importance with nearby Puerto Montt, the district capital and sea port located about 15 minutes bus ride away. Puerto Varas is a former lake port on the shores of the huge Lago Llanquihue (yankee-way), now devoted to local tourism, whereas Puerto Montt is more industrial being active in sea fishing, aquaculture, export of wood chips and servicing of cruise ships.
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Travel guide: Argentina

Where to go in Argentina can be a problem for the tourist. It all depends on various personal factors which must be delineated.

1. Is this your first visit or have you been before?

2. How much time do you have for a visit? One week or a month or more?

3. How much money do you have to spend? Are you a budget traveler or is money no object?

4. Do you have special interests that might be satisfied, like skiing, fishing, hiking, crafts, painting, history, farming and so on.

Once you have answered these questions you are then able to decide where to go and formulate priorities. Everyone will be different.

Consider a first visit of one week duration. What to do? Normally one flies into the capital Buenos Aires (BA) for first taste of this wonderful country. You could happily stay for the whole week exploring this European style city, a replica of Paris located in South America, but I suggest otherwise, because you can always make a return visit. You have time to split between BA and one other major tourist resort, such as the Iguazú Falls, or San Carlos de Bariloche in the Argentine Lake District.

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Foto: Approaching Ushuaia in the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, on the cruise ship Terra Australia.

Victor Harbor, South Australia

Victor Harbor, Fleurieu Peninsula

Victor Harbor is South Australia’s

premier seaside tourist resort town on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is only 84 kms south of Adelaide city, the State capital, located on the southern surf coastline of Australia. It has a permanent population of about 12,000 residents which during summer and holiday periods more than trebles. It was founded in 1837 as a sealing and whaling station which ceased operation in 1867. Many historical buildings of this period remain preserved. The history buff will enjoy the ambiance of the area. There is so much to see and do at Victor Harbor.

The big attraction is the Great Southern Ocean and its blue waters that disappear on the horizon only to find land again some 4000 kms south on frigid Antarctic shores.
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New and rare gemstones from East Africa

The gemstone region of East Africa is exotic and relatively new compared to the long established gemstone regions of South East Asia and Brazil. It extends from the island of Madagascar (Malagasy) in the Indian Ocean to mainland Mozambique then northward through Tanzania and Kenya.

Notable developments have been the discovery and marketing of Tanzanite, a new vivid blue variety of the mineral zoisite, and likewise the promotion of the emerald green variety of grossular garnet, called Tsavorite, from localities in Kenya and Tanzania. Both these new gemstones have limited production and so command high prices. These gems are the icing on the cake. Many more gemstones are available from this little frequented region.
Foto: Watermelon tourmaline crystal
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Facts and legends about topaz

Pablo Neruda, the Chilean Nobel Prize winning poet, wrote in his poem “Las Piedras del Cielo” , about his love of gems and minerals:
"Cuando se toca el topacio, el topacio te toca."

or, when you touch the topaz, the topaz touches you

A large topaz crystal is a wonderful thing to touch and handle, and look through. My pet coffee table crystal from Brazil measures 6 x 11 cm across the base and 8 cm high, bounded top and bottom by perfect basal cleavage planes. It is super transparent and colorless, heavy, and feels cold to touch and lick. What else can we learn from it?
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Facts about emeralds

Why are natural emeralds so rare in occurrence compared to beryl and aquamarine, which are the same mineral but a different color?

Why are beryls and aquamarines found in pegmatite deposits but rarely so are emeralds? If you are a prospector of gemstones and of emeralds you should know the reason before venturing forth.

To understand the occurrence of emerald and beryl in general you have to study the chemical composition of the mineral beryl and what causes the color. Beryl is a beryllium aluminum silicate which if it had no coloring impurities would naturally be colorless, and many are, such as the colorless gem beryl called “goshenite”. These crystals may have lots of alkali ions and water molecule impurities but these don’t cause any color.

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