Rock Islands, Palau

An amazing view from Palau, an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. The postcard shows you the Rock Islands, a huge ecological system with natural beauty. "Rock Islands Southern Lagoon" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012, making it the first site in the country and one of the 29 mixed heritages in the world. Many thanks to Guanyu's friend, who sent me it from Koror, the largest city of Palau.

Canaima National Park

Canaima National Park in south-eastern Venezuela is famous for its special even unique landscape of "tepui" formations. "Tepui" is a table-top mountain found in this area, characterized by the sheet cliffs and waterfalls. The postcard shown above depicts a nice view of Kukenán-tepui at sunrise. The view on the top of Kukenán-tepui has been a source of inspiration for the Disney animated film Up.

Auyán-tepui is the most visited tepui inside the national park because of the Angel Falls which drops from a cleft near the summit. An Indian village "Kavac" is located at the foot of the Auyán-tepui and the traditional house is called "churuata". A nice postcard shows the dawn in the Kavac community.

Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world, with a height of 979 m. It is not easy to arrive in this area, as the fact that the most beautiful views are always located in those hard-to-reach places. Just talked with a friend back from Venezuela, he told me  he finally saw the amazing fall after a long journey by plane, by canoe and then by foot.

The last card shows another special landscape in the eastern park of the national park: the Jasper formations. Jasper is the name of a river and some cascades and waterfalls in Venezuela based on the fact that the water flows over a smooth bedrock of mostly read and black jasper. In 1994, the Canaima National Park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Many thanks to my friend Luis for these wonderful postcards! :)

Stone Town of Zanzibar

                          

My friend Jing, who works in Dar es Salaam, took a trip to Zanzibar last month. He said the island has an amazing sea view, and also impressive heritages such as the "crazy doors". :) So he chose this postcard to share with me some well-decorated wooden doors inside the Stone Town (the old part of Zanzibar city). Actually the architectures in the old town, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, with a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. "Stone Town of Zanzibar" was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Jing is a big fan of postcard, stamp and post office. He had prepared some stamps and matching postcards in advance, then went to the post office to get the postmarks of Zanzibar to make some maximum cards. The two he did for me show a Swahili woman and the Palace Museum of Zanzibar, respectively. Much appreciated!

Saint-Gilles, Réunion

Saint-Gilles is a village located along the west coast of the island of Réunion, one of the overseas departments of France located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. The village is the site of the island's most popular seaside resort.

Postmark reads "19595A" which means the CTC (Post sorting center) in Saint-Denis, the administrative capital of Réunion. Many thanks to Esther for this beautiful card!

Wooden church at Hervartov, Slovakia

The Roman Catholic wooden church dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi at Hervartov, Slovakia was built around the end of the 15th century. As the oldest and the best preserved surviving wooden church in the country, it has been included on the UNESCO Word Heritage List along with several others under title "Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area".
I would like to thank Nataša for this gorgeous postcard sent on my birthday as a surprising gift! Greatly indebted. :-) It shows both the exterior and the interior ( most valuable Gothic pictures and wall paintings) of the church. The stamps of the same church and Pope John Paul II are definitively well-selected to match the theme as well! Thank you again Nataša!

BTW, this article provides a good tour to the church.

Old souks of Tripoli

A nice postcard shows an old souk (Ancient tailor's souk) of Tripoli,the the second-largest city of Lebanon. Souk is similar to "Bazaar", which are both standing for "local markets" where lots of people sell goods, especially in (and originated from) the Muslim World. But the two terms have different too: Bazaar is permanent enclosed while souk is open-air. Many thanks to Mireille for this great card for my market theme collections!:)

George Town, Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory located in the western Caribbean Sea. It is a major world offshore financial centre in the world. The capital George Town is the largest (by population) of all settlements in the British Overseas Territories.
This is my first stamped and written postcard sent from Cayman Islands, many thanks to Greg! It shows some views of George Town such as the harbour and cruise ships, business buildings near the centre of the city. The stamp (Ground Boa) is one of the set "Darwin Initiative" issued in 2008.

The Great Annual Wildlife Migration in Kenya

A nice card shows the great annual migration of millions of zebra and wildebeest: they have to cross the Mara River (Kenya) from July through September in order to search for better food and water. It is a dangerous journey because they are many crocodiles in the river waiting for their preys. This new wonder of the natural world tops almost every list of safari experiences. Many thanks to Rosanna for sending it from Nairobi!

World Heritage Sites in China (8) - Ancient City of Ping Yao

Ping Yao is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. Its urban fabric shows the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China over five centuries. Of special interest are the imposing buildings associated with banking, for which Ping Yao was the major centre for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/812

This set consists of 10 postcards, each one can be easily divided into a standard size postcard (on the right part) and an interesting record card with the same design (on the left part). They looks better when together. Many thanks to Hui!

812-001 Ancient City of Ping Yao

1. Full view of Pingyao city;
2. The City Wall;
3. Qingxu Temple;
4. Ri Sheng Chang;
5. Country Government;
6. South Street;
7. Ancient Civilian House;
8. Confucianism Temple;

812-002 Zhen Guo Temple

9. Zhen Guo Temple;

812-003 Shuang Lin Temple
10. Shuang Lin Temple.

 

Patan Durbar Square at the time of Rato Machheendranath Festival

  

The postcard shows a view of Patan Durbar Square at the time of Rato Machheendranath Festival. Patan Durbar Square is one of the three Durbar Squares ( which is the generic name used to describe plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal and consists of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains and more) in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1979. Rato Machhendranath is a god of rain worshiped by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal. The temple of Rato Machchhindranath lies in the southern part of the Patan Durbar Square since 1673.

Many thanks to Tingting for this special postcard with an interesting stamp of "Elephant Football". :)

Picking flowers on Nymphaea lake

Two children are on a lake full of Nymphaea. Seems they are brother and sister, one is boating and the other picking flowers. In this Buddhist country, Nymphaea symbolizes clean, honest and holy. But maybe they pick the flowers just for living. Really a peaceful and impressive photo taken by Chan Dara! This is the Takeo province of Cambodia, which is often referred to as the "cradle of Khmer civilization". Many thanks to my friend Pat for this great postcard!

Heart of Voh, New Caledonia

 

In Voh, a commune in the main island of New Caledonia, there is a mysterious landscape viewed from the air: a large formation of plants takes the shape of a heart. Actually, it has been naturally formed without any interference of the humans. Amazing? Yes, it is another art work by the Nature!
As shown on the postcard, this landscape is called "the Heart of Voh". Many thanks to Georges for sharing with me this breath-taking natural phenomena! The beautiful stamp shows the Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems, a UNESCO World Heritage site in this special collectivity of France.

To see more "Hearts by Nature", please click here.  

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei. The mosque considered one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major landmark and tourist attraction of Brunei. Many thanks to Juris from Latvia, for sending me this nice postcard with beautiful stamps when he had a trip in Brunei!

City of Graz – Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg

Received another postcard from Graz shows the Schloss Eggenberg (Eggenberg Palace) which is the most significant Baroque palace complex in Styria. In 2010, Schloss Eggenberg was recognized for its significance to cultural history in an expansion to the listing of the Graz Historic Old Town among UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites. Thanks again to Jasmin, she is kind enough to queue in the post office in order to get for me the hand postmark!:-)

Graz is the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. Its old town is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 due to the harmonious co-existence of typical buildings from different epochs and in different architectural styles. Situated in a cultural borderland between Central Europe, Italy and the Balkan States, Graz absorbed various influences from the neighboring regions and thus received its exceptional townscape. Today the old town consists of over 1000 buildings, their age ranging from Gothic to Contemporary. 

I am very grateful to have these two nice postcards sent from Graz with beautiful stamps. Thank you very much Jasmin! The first card features a panoramic view of the old town from the air. You can see the Schlossberg or Castle Hill located in the center, as well as some important sights in the old town such as the City Hall and the Landhaus. The famous Uhrturm clock tower is shown on the second card, which is on the top of Schlossberg and is the symbol of the city. 

Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley

Many thanks to my friend “Postcardman”, who lives in the Netherlands and sent me this beautiful postcard from Andorra when he had a trip there. The only one UNESCO World Heritage Site “Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley” in this tiny country is shown on the card. He also used a special mini-sheet “Europa 2012 – Visit Andorra” for my collection, much appreciated !