tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65776037354926878332023-11-16T19:40:05.614+05:00The W I L D S P A C E BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-65702826618045603662012-04-24T14:43:00.000+05:002012-04-24T14:43:03.158+05:00A little bit of Cape Town History...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A compilation of a series of historical photos, showing the growth of Cape Town. It's amazing to see how things have changed and developed into the town we know affectionately as the Mother City. Enjoy this journey back in history.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEqAJ-FUq9E9Ri6D6-EBeAZ-hUaqthzEH3jjygJP8PgQgrINiHxo6Gi29PQ9zUpNnO-qSSPJG6PquIBLX-zvc-6QF_IHRBzjzoUbVbGptKnvNbe1ZvCdiaUFqYppdngWZQSMTm2g6_RC2/s1600/Orange+Street%252C+Cape+Town+in+1870..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEqAJ-FUq9E9Ri6D6-EBeAZ-hUaqthzEH3jjygJP8PgQgrINiHxo6Gi29PQ9zUpNnO-qSSPJG6PquIBLX-zvc-6QF_IHRBzjzoUbVbGptKnvNbe1ZvCdiaUFqYppdngWZQSMTm2g6_RC2/s320/Orange+Street%252C+Cape+Town+in+1870..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange Street, Cape Town in 1870<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO1uB8EOVAphnrcAIkfuxujLn10mYwI4_SteOk6FfCCUGVxmCU28wRn-L79DMPxzMxPMg1x6LY8bKhG8GvuhEChbYR00jQdX5DQMOAx-L1OLuM5zDMOUUoifwzAqnqb8nGruyTkz7bYmQ/s1600/The+beach+that+used+to+be+in+Woodstock.+This+photo+was+taken+in+1899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO1uB8EOVAphnrcAIkfuxujLn10mYwI4_SteOk6FfCCUGVxmCU28wRn-L79DMPxzMxPMg1x6LY8bKhG8GvuhEChbYR00jQdX5DQMOAx-L1OLuM5zDMOUUoifwzAqnqb8nGruyTkz7bYmQ/s320/The+beach+that+used+to+be+in+Woodstock.+This+photo+was+taken+in+1899.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach that used to be in Woodstock. This photo was taken in 1899<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoY1HuW6_DfPsUgtJgHIcPCb1S7RrhOXk90NSzv1GRE3S39EYoMHYgu7jm7-6lluJXFwyjynMv5fJr9VV3m_jGBTiebMoFeV0qPkj99zsEz791fw1t3FuAJ95_FVpjY6FBFSOK0E7FU9UN/s1600/The+naval+base+of+Simon's+Town+in+1900..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoY1HuW6_DfPsUgtJgHIcPCb1S7RrhOXk90NSzv1GRE3S39EYoMHYgu7jm7-6lluJXFwyjynMv5fJr9VV3m_jGBTiebMoFeV0qPkj99zsEz791fw1t3FuAJ95_FVpjY6FBFSOK0E7FU9UN/s320/The+naval+base+of+Simon's+Town+in+1900..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The naval base of Simon's Town in 1900</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyOJMWBEi1wjZ8mYjl9rB5m_ZeLiQGkb6-XAIkfF6lL6jmwSummVmkvFNCj_Pv-Ua3gCG8UkWWBKMG9XUKCnzQxdUjhntVBk_zMsOU363R-QZAZAsNmeM8vR5b0zMe6MwEC8VGpm-bfKp/s1600/Welgemeend+is+one+of+the+oldest+surviving+houses+in+Cape+Town+and+was+built+in+Gardens+in+1700.+This+photo+was+taken+in+1901..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyOJMWBEi1wjZ8mYjl9rB5m_ZeLiQGkb6-XAIkfF6lL6jmwSummVmkvFNCj_Pv-Ua3gCG8UkWWBKMG9XUKCnzQxdUjhntVBk_zMsOU363R-QZAZAsNmeM8vR5b0zMe6MwEC8VGpm-bfKp/s320/Welgemeend+is+one+of+the+oldest+surviving+houses+in+Cape+Town+and+was+built+in+Gardens+in+1700.+This+photo+was+taken+in+1901..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welgemeend is one of the oldest surviving houses in Cape Town and was built in Gardens in 1700. This photo was taken in 1901</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU-Odilmb81DfC8Ics6xgccN6ftyj4ylCobeREGvYhwAoal6hcWUnW92tDk8uIF79y0Ijpu0cIdcoh5s4pN1pynnp-oqRQDMX2H5PdGcHWNx0Ybmi7VbhpVYroM83sXb4S-jb5WgOyDo1/s1600/The+lime+kilns+in+Mowbray+in+1910,+with+Table+Mountain+in+the+background..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU-Odilmb81DfC8Ics6xgccN6ftyj4ylCobeREGvYhwAoal6hcWUnW92tDk8uIF79y0Ijpu0cIdcoh5s4pN1pynnp-oqRQDMX2H5PdGcHWNx0Ybmi7VbhpVYroM83sXb4S-jb5WgOyDo1/s320/The+lime+kilns+in+Mowbray+in+1910,+with+Table+Mountain+in+the+background..jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lime kilns in Mowbray in 1910, with Table Mountain in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmke2ggm5rTXO5bThmkoAlyfRBV7kiNO7m-Pp4xqyw55cAsoz8K4mnQzjD2DhECNfnxTKMItYBiz8NvLL9vorL6ClWvEk2vJ9RWv6grTsqrZ37lUsFU7Enit8c0zqd_3z3Ui7wRo3C7tg/s1600/The+Old+Pier+was+completed+in+1910+and+became+a+popular+spot+for+Capetonians.+This+picture+was+taken+in+1911..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmke2ggm5rTXO5bThmkoAlyfRBV7kiNO7m-Pp4xqyw55cAsoz8K4mnQzjD2DhECNfnxTKMItYBiz8NvLL9vorL6ClWvEk2vJ9RWv6grTsqrZ37lUsFU7Enit8c0zqd_3z3Ui7wRo3C7tg/s320/The+Old+Pier+was+completed+in+1910+and+became+a+popular+spot+for+Capetonians.+This+picture+was+taken+in+1911..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Pier was completed in 1910 and became a popular spot for Capetonians. This picture was taken in 1911</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0McwWYLm7wl8n2cnLpYmD1w1bRhELTY4DpSXFOdH5TZZzyBk_2udNf_HuqZbBNvrQ8fGDIKXq14X0sssnnHWuBZVJ7yGQPwXgslVf2g32KdEYAc4tB_3KUY78lVFxoyHhGkZq2HzTBi1N/s1600/The+USS+Huntington+arrives+to+a+very+desolate+foreshore+in+1948.+The+foreshore+was+built+in+1945,+but+due+to+the+economic+climate+after+the+war,+it+took+a+while+to+be+properly+utilized..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0McwWYLm7wl8n2cnLpYmD1w1bRhELTY4DpSXFOdH5TZZzyBk_2udNf_HuqZbBNvrQ8fGDIKXq14X0sssnnHWuBZVJ7yGQPwXgslVf2g32KdEYAc4tB_3KUY78lVFxoyHhGkZq2HzTBi1N/s320/The+USS+Huntington+arrives+to+a+very+desolate+foreshore+in+1948.+The+foreshore+was+built+in+1945,+but+due+to+the+economic+climate+after+the+war,+it+took+a+while+to+be+properly+utilized..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USS Huntington arrives to a very desolate foreshore in 1948. The foreshore was built in 1945, but due to the economic climate after the war, it took a while to be properly utilized</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBtpVCQZmoTV88t-diXKEmvPh-6t-4gTCO_kVQElz5M45meaimq3nc9QRmIpi_VUZkp-_lAeJs-pHTkHxcH8_71pZ3rAm6k61v3uAi8PvrJ_-4p4Mx2TlSuM1bGU-sXV-lukDtVq605up/s1600/The+view+from+Blouberg+in+1950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBtpVCQZmoTV88t-diXKEmvPh-6t-4gTCO_kVQElz5M45meaimq3nc9QRmIpi_VUZkp-_lAeJs-pHTkHxcH8_71pZ3rAm6k61v3uAi8PvrJ_-4p4Mx2TlSuM1bGU-sXV-lukDtVq605up/s320/The+view+from+Blouberg+in+1950.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Blouberg in 1950</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGPUZ59m_ujUkYQIyKChR3iu4ufBqR0Tzx7yQES7M2iVP60CCiCqE3t-FuHgttt8hTTQC8VrXFyZ3LI-XMMcGq_MknxXa7RrDEnnX4g47RY8Z8Z4hF7897GH-h-FlHtVecHDoABJvLR30/s1600/Kloof+Road+en-route+to+Glen+Beach+in+1953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGPUZ59m_ujUkYQIyKChR3iu4ufBqR0Tzx7yQES7M2iVP60CCiCqE3t-FuHgttt8hTTQC8VrXFyZ3LI-XMMcGq_MknxXa7RrDEnnX4g47RY8Z8Z4hF7897GH-h-FlHtVecHDoABJvLR30/s320/Kloof+Road+en-route+to+Glen+Beach+in+1953.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kloof Road en-route to Glen Beach in 1953</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRmskU0eRu02O9K-8ZqQL3zda3chENzJGv5GFeY0DyLGuwnsBagXk9zOEi-mtXOQudPipsxrctOtPWrxwuU0ny63YCuucBeTEwQ8Y1swq6qzDmes6nuWHpWp0cHJFt73vF4czQF0NOen-/s1600/The+first+Cape+Argus+cycle+tour+took+place+in+1978,+with+525+people+taking+place..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRmskU0eRu02O9K-8ZqQL3zda3chENzJGv5GFeY0DyLGuwnsBagXk9zOEi-mtXOQudPipsxrctOtPWrxwuU0ny63YCuucBeTEwQ8Y1swq6qzDmes6nuWHpWp0cHJFt73vF4czQF0NOen-/s320/The+first+Cape+Argus+cycle+tour+took+place+in+1978,+with+525+people+taking+place..jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first Cape Argus cycle tour took place in 1978, with 525 people taking place</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-71185283165316503022012-04-13T15:39:00.005+05:002012-04-13T15:45:56.129+05:00Why Is Mumbai the Most Expensive City in the World for Locals?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">How much would it cost for the average local to buy a luxury apartment in the world's most important cities? In Singapore, it would take four decades of income. In Shanghai, two centuries. And in Mumbai -- poor souls -- they'd be looking at a good three centuries of hard work.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">Those numbers come courtesy of Bloomberg, which yesterday compiled the chart below (I've recomposed it for readability). The news service calculated how many years worth of earnings it would take the average national to buy a high-end, roughly 100-square-meter piece of real estate in each city. (That comes out to about 328-square-feet, or a studio apartment in America).<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhfZNAuOar1DpTFDBju4-FpEdb4K9fgud7e1vrcaBTGQWodTlmMZ-fOCULGyv9ULG0rNzwWfWqL-KV3GGiqruX0oyR4crKoc4dw4xQvyzQ_VypN_6rgdhCcprYAO2xDhpJL0BnyEK0eMU/s1600/Most_Expensive_Cities_for_Locals-thumb-615x360-84400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhfZNAuOar1DpTFDBju4-FpEdb4K9fgud7e1vrcaBTGQWodTlmMZ-fOCULGyv9ULG0rNzwWfWqL-KV3GGiqruX0oyR4crKoc4dw4xQvyzQ_VypN_6rgdhCcprYAO2xDhpJL0BnyEK0eMU/s400/Most_Expensive_Cities_for_Locals-thumb-615x360-84400.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">Now what does this chart tell us, other than the fact that Manhattan home buyers have nothing to complain about compared to, say, Parisians? Each market has its own unique circumstances. But I think this graph is largely about the impact of globalization on property, that most local of all commodities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">The top three cities on this list have all developed wildly wealthy upper classes thanks to global trade, whether they're oil oligarchs in Russia or chemicals magnate in India. But they also have widespread poverty and a relatively tiny middle class. Cities in the developed world are also paying a different kind of globalization premium. In London, for instance, fancy apartments have become hot investments for the rich international buyers looking for a place to park their money. The same thing is happening in Sydney, where wealthy Asians are also snapping up residences as investments, or sometimes as places to retire.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;">Of course, there are probably exceptions. Manhattan has enough of its own uber-wealthy to push the cost of prime real estate to astronomical heights without help from abroad. But as the world's rich get richer, we can expect the most expensive cities to become more expensive. At least, that is, if you're in the market for a place as cool as this.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">Reference : </span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;">http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/04/why-is-mumbai-the-most-expensive-city-in-the-world-for-locals/255741/#.T4ZPtZ5eMds.twitter<o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-10455479042919367022012-01-30T15:36:00.000+05:002012-01-30T15:36:26.311+05:00Tragic truth about Indian caste system<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I frequently get asked in America why India’s caste system, a pre-feudalistic division of labor that assigns one’s line of work at birth, has persisted into the 21st century. I typically answer: the need of the privileged upper castes for cheap labor. But there is an even more tragic explanation, as I discovered during a recent visit to New Delhi while talking to Maya, the dalit or untouchable — the lowest of the four castes — who has serviced my family for 35 years. Maya herself clings to her caste because it still offers her the best possible life in India.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s puzzling about the caste system is that it endures without legal force. Unlike slavery, where whites actively relied on authorities to maintain their slave holdings, the caste system is an informal, self-perpetuating institution.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How? Consider Maya’s story.</span></div><a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maya assigned herself to our house in 1977. We had no choice. If we wanted our trash picked up, bathrooms scrubbed and yards cleaned, Maya was it. Indians find dealing with other people’s refuse not just unpleasant, but polluting. Hence only dalits are willing to do this work, something that both stigmatizes them and gives them a stranglehold on the market. And they have transformed this stranglehold into an ironclad cartel that closes all other options for their customers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Maya got married at 16, her father-in-law paid another dalit $20 for her wedding gift: the “rights” to service 10 houses in our neighborhood, including ours. Maya has no formal deed to these “rights,” yet they are more inviolable than holy writ. Maya’s fellow dalits, who own the “rights” to other houses, can’t work in hers, just as she can’t work in theirs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Doing so, Maya insists, would be tantamount to theft that would invite a well-deserved beating and ostracism by the dalit community. No one would help a “poacher” or attend her family functions like births, weddings or funerals. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This arrangement has guaranteed Maya a monthly income of $100 that, along with her husband’s job as a “gofer” at a government lab, has helped her raise three children and build a modest house with a bathroom, a prized feature among India’s poor. But Maya’s monopoly doesn’t give her just money. It also hands her clout to resist the upper-caste power structure, not always for noble reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">None of Maya’s employers dares challenge her work. Maya takes more days off for funerals every year than there are members in her extended family. Complaining, however, is not only pointless but perilous. It would result in stinking piles of garbage outside the complainer’s home for days. Every time my mother gets into spats with Maya over her sketchy scrubbing, my mother loses. One harsh word, and Maya boycotts our house until my mother cajoles her back. Nor is Maya the only sweeper, or jamadarni, with an attitude. All of New Delhi is carved up among Maya-style sweeper cartels and it is a rare house whose jamadarni is not a “big problem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But the price for this clout is the loss of inter-caste acceptability. Segregation has loosened considerably among the first three castes. But dalits are allowed to socialize with other castes only if they abandon trash-related work. Otherwise, every interaction involving them becomes subject to an apartheid-like social code. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of Maya’s houses, for example, have separate entrances that allow her to access bathrooms without having to enter the main house. Although the families have formed a genuine bond with her and treat her generously, plying her with lavish gifts during festivals, there are limits. They give her breakfast and lunch, but in separate dishes. Sitting at their table, sharing a meal, is forbidden. Not even my mother’s driver, a higher caste, would visit Maya and accept a glass of water, even though he is poorer than she.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maya is resigned to such discrimination, but not her oldest son, 36. He holds a government job, works as a sales representative for an Amway-style company and dreams big. He is embarrassed by his mother and lies to his customers about her work. He makes enough money to support Maya and wants her to quit, but she will have none of it. She fears destitution and poverty more, she says, than she craves social respectability. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But the choice may not be hers much longer.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upon retirement, she had planned to either pass her “business” to her children or sell it to another dalit for about $1,000. But about six months ago, municipal authorities started dispatching vans, Western-style, to collect trash from neighborhoods, the one service that protected Maya from obsolescence in an age of sophisticated home-cleaning gadgetry. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maya and her fellow dalits held demonstrations outside the municipal commissioner’s office to stop the vans. They finally arrived at a compromise that lets Maya and her pals collect trash from individual homes and hand it to the vans for disposal. But Maya realizes that this arrangement won’t last. “I got branded as polluted and became unfit for other jobs, for what?” she wept. “To build a business that has now turned to dust?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Her son, however, is pleased. He believes that this will finally force his siblings to develop skills for more respectable work instead of joining their mother. But Maya shakes her head. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And she might be right. Post-liberalization, the most dogged and determined dalits are able to escape their caste-assigned destiny and get rich. But for the vast majority, as Maya says, opportunities are better within the caste system than outside it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When that changes, the system will die, but not until then.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #003366; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt;">Reference:</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <a href="http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/01/19/011912-opinions-column-caste-dalmia-1-3/">http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/01/19/011912-opinions-column-caste-dalmia-1-3/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-74305513341438251742012-01-25T11:28:00.005+05:002012-04-13T16:16:06.751+05:00India on Wheels...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">David recently travelled with Wildspace to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in South India and to New Delhi in the North. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">He has shared with us the below </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">sketches<span class="apple-converted-space"> capturing in excellent detail some of the numerous modes of transport in India...enjoy</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pQpfvbtCpyPMtzXymmEi7eMlREFv6cXZEIJoJflRkqq5qPvWDF4TXuQzjlAzJcqlFmr3RYFKIgZJHkg2ITB8WfpnkQDiCv29BYt1kXloyk6uQbI6efqqV8aCvOhBnRzDlF2LdSZjVXWZ/s1600/India+Transport+DBB+Sketch+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0pQpfvbtCpyPMtzXymmEi7eMlREFv6cXZEIJoJflRkqq5qPvWDF4TXuQzjlAzJcqlFmr3RYFKIgZJHkg2ITB8WfpnkQDiCv29BYt1kXloyk6uQbI6efqqV8aCvOhBnRzDlF2LdSZjVXWZ/s640/India+Transport+DBB+Sketch+2.JPG" width="462" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-31344941347119284542012-01-05T11:53:00.004+05:002012-01-24T16:05:29.118+05:00Everest Sky Dive at Syangboche, Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Take the leap and experience a heady free fall over the highest drop zone in the world. Skydiving from an altitude of over 29,000 feet is a thrill you cannot easily express in words. Combine your free falling close to the mighty Himalayan peaks with a trek to the base camp of Everest.</span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: Calibri;">EVEREST SKYDIVE HIGHLIGHTS</span></b></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The World's most Elite Skydiving Adventure<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Skydiving in front of Mount Everest (29,035ft - 8848m)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">World Heritage area national park for trekking and skydiving<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Landing on the highest Drop Zone in the world</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Experience a High Altitude jump, with supplementary Oxygen<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Catch yourself live into Air to Air video on each jump<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be part of an Elite club of International skydivers<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jump from Switzerland‘s Turbine Pilatus Porter PC 6 aircraft<a name='more'></a></span></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: Calibri;">OUTLINE ITINERARY</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 01: Arrive Kathmandu / Transfer to Hotel<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 02: Sightseeing in Kathmandu<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 03: Fly to Lukla/ Trek to Phakding<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 04: Trek to Namche<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 05: Rest day in Namche<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 06: Trek to Syangboche/ Test Jump Day<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 07: Jump Day<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 08: Jump Day<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 09: Jump Day<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 10: Jump Day, fly to Kathmandu<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Day 11: Depart Kathmandu</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #993300; font-family: Calibri;">DETAILED ITINERARY</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 1 Arrive Kathmandu/ Transfer to Hotel</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meet and greet at Kathmandu International Airport and transferred to your hotel (Hotel Malla). Take your time to relax and recuperate from your flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Later you will be briefed on the day’s program and meet other members before taking a walk to the famous Rum Doodle Restaurant for dinner.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 2 Sightseeing in Kathmandu</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There will be a half-day guided tour to the famous and biggest Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Boudhanath, and Swayambhunath. Afterwards you will pack your soft mountain bags, which will be given to you, and leave you excess material in the hotel until we return from our expedition.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 3 Fly to Lukla (2,900m) / Trek to Phakding(2,656m)</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The flight to Lukla in Solu Khumbu (the main gateway to Mt Everest - 29,035ft) takes about 45 minutes. In Lukla, you will meet your trek support team, your porters and the yaks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once all the large kit bags and equipment have been allocated to porters and yaks, we start walking along the Dhud Khosi Valley close to the river, and slowly meander up and down well-constructed paths through the villages to Phakding, where you will stay overnight in a Sherpa lodge.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 4 Trek to Namche (3,450m)</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From Phakding, we cross and re-cross the river on high suspension bridges to Monjo, which marks the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We then take a steep long trek to Namche Bazaar (11,320ft), the main trading village in the Khumbu. Overnight stay at Hotel Sherpa Land in Namche Bazaar.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 5 Rest day in Namche (3,450m) – Meet & Brief</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Namche is tucked away between two ridges amidst the giant peaks of the Khumbu. It is an ideal place to relax and acclimatize to the new altitude. You can visit to the Khunde hospital, which was set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary, or walk up to the Everest view hotel above Namche for the sunset view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 6 Trek to Syangboche (3,810m) / Test Jump Day</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The management staff and crew will meet and brief you, and </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">familiarise</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> you with the equipment and routines that will apply to the drop zone during the parachuting program. There will be familiarisation and briefings for solo and tandem jumpers. Solo jumpers will jump from the Pilatus Porter P6 turbine.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Calibri;">Please Note: The drop zone is a strict alcohol-free zone for everyone, including observers, at all times.</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 7 – 10 Jump days, fly to Kathmandu</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everest Skydive from 29,500ft in front of Mt. Everest. You will exit with your tandem instructor and aerial cameraman or jumpmaster. The Director of Parachuting Operations will plan the jump days in consideration with weather and safety.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 10 </span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Helicopter transfer to Lukla airstrip from where you will be taken to Kathmandu via plane. Later you can enjoy your free Day in Kathmandu.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 11 Depart Kathmandu</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0eGem89Vu5sgU_J0w5NOzRT7UwdVQHv_dom2Jd1l4dcwmuw02tpIVktF27S8Xi1sBA-9amaLVqpc8QrOsg4Il1_-5nTBfe9D0Qpbp1EXlSp0i5ym6WsXaX-bgHT4ovgpZmJVLBEFEQQ4/s1600/pokhara+skydive-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Transfer to airport to depart Kathmandu.<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993300; font-family: Calibri;"><b>NOTE:</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> This trip can be extended further upto 10 days Everest Base Camp Trek. If interested kindly let us know..</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJgR_vsK5OdMdVpzNwgPXPMWe6_R-hbuel1Ts8TqqrNgLBYILiuAZe8WOJBuY9P5UviwW-bMtW81YL2y0GA5rjaYYySQ0nS-1Zbm4Z_JShNA800TfLqQcW1CsOvEQbMS59KcItdXcZvJO/s1600/pokhara+skydive-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJgR_vsK5OdMdVpzNwgPXPMWe6_R-hbuel1Ts8TqqrNgLBYILiuAZe8WOJBuY9P5UviwW-bMtW81YL2y0GA5rjaYYySQ0nS-1Zbm4Z_JShNA800TfLqQcW1CsOvEQbMS59KcItdXcZvJO/s320/pokhara+skydive-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0eGem89Vu5sgU_J0w5NOzRT7UwdVQHv_dom2Jd1l4dcwmuw02tpIVktF27S8Xi1sBA-9amaLVqpc8QrOsg4Il1_-5nTBfe9D0Qpbp1EXlSp0i5ym6WsXaX-bgHT4ovgpZmJVLBEFEQQ4/s1600/pokhara+skydive-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0eGem89Vu5sgU_J0w5NOzRT7UwdVQHv_dom2Jd1l4dcwmuw02tpIVktF27S8Xi1sBA-9amaLVqpc8QrOsg4Il1_-5nTBfe9D0Qpbp1EXlSp0i5ym6WsXaX-bgHT4ovgpZmJVLBEFEQQ4/s320/pokhara+skydive-25.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04saB5IsiHFAOlXQ4i3LQbaEw4TmnLjGFEhk3lwNiZGbT_BnViEXk3zxRQucLwwOTuRGMqsmgj3adgsk8oMfTVQZMWLiD4P7I-phu0AZcPoDnuCY9nNHnZoWy3KBVPvjaJSl52OY7Lzuv/s1600/image82.png" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04saB5IsiHFAOlXQ4i3LQbaEw4TmnLjGFEhk3lwNiZGbT_BnViEXk3zxRQucLwwOTuRGMqsmgj3adgsk8oMfTVQZMWLiD4P7I-phu0AZcPoDnuCY9nNHnZoWy3KBVPvjaJSl52OY7Lzuv/s320/image82.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div></div><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-39143006337347643182011-12-23T16:46:00.005+05:002012-01-24T16:12:18.009+05:00An ancient Underground world in the CAVES of South Africa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsga/images/maropeng-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tumulus at Maropeng, Cradle of Humankind" border="0" height="212" src="http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsga/images/maropeng-03.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Tumulus at Maropeng, Cradle of Humankind </i></span></span> </b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;">N</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;">ext time when you are heading to plan your visit to South Africa, don’t just limit your imagination to Kruger Park, Cape Town, Winelands and maybe the Garden Route. Step into an ancient underground world in the huge, deep, pre-historic scary caves of South Africa and witness the unseen beauty of nature and history.</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some of the caves in South Africa have huge networks of tunnels that you can spend hours, or even days, exploring! <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">UNESCO World Heritage Site called The Cradle of Human Kind, or the massive Cango Caves, Echo Caves and Sudwala Caves are some of the thrilling caves that were created millions of years ago are just hard to miss.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Cradle of Human Kind</span></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Cradle of Human Kind World Heritage Site is actually much more than just the caves. They boast about having a total of 398 attractions at the site! The caves here are not just the plain caves. As the name implies, this is the area where human kind is known to have its oldest roots, and they have found 1.5 million years old fossils of direct ancestors to modern humans.</span><br />
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</span></div></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;"><b>Cango Caves</b></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQG5ZovKmTx3opKmNrblZaZ-l9YO2w1uBOyyyDQ7ZVspNo9GJk69Py6LpbeywS1e9rR7Dj66BoStAJJ7ZchHyy2hB1LVWphPU5wyT4-j_LHtauKy0RaQcvnaCM6XfWDIXn4F_pKwCwDIH/s1600/Cango+Caves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQG5ZovKmTx3opKmNrblZaZ-l9YO2w1uBOyyyDQ7ZVspNo9GJk69Py6LpbeywS1e9rR7Dj66BoStAJJ7ZchHyy2hB1LVWphPU5wyT4-j_LHtauKy0RaQcvnaCM6XfWDIXn4F_pKwCwDIH/s320/Cango+Caves.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="223" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Cango Caves</i></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;">The Cango Caves in South Africa are among the most popular caves and are conveniently located close to the Garden Route and attract a lot of tourists from all over the world. As you walk through the Cango Caves, they will surely give you the feeling of exploring a different world. With spectacular limestone formations, they are definitely worth the visit.</span><br />
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</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sudwala Caves</span></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Sudwala Caves are visited less frequently, but definitely also worth the trip if you’re in the Mpumalanga region. As you’re walking up to the caves, you can barely spot the little opening, but as soon as you enter them you will realize that this is also a huge network of tunnels.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;">The Sudwala Caves are the oldest known caves in the world, and as such, are a `must-see' on the itinerary of any visitor to Mpumalanga. These incredible caverns lie in the Drakensberg escarpment which separates the Highveld from the lowlands of Mpumalanga. The caves are situated in Pre-cumbrian dolomite rocks of the Malmani Group, formed over a period of some 3000 million years. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ0ToANFgoiC6Je8I7bzR3FNqZ3WOoSwaH99ajkyS1Hit4icGpCvXGY1gMORUazXgXUK9-X2Ldp3NF0Bc1ZB2xx2JsDLlywyGAkGLmxb20BEnzsyEs0_AX4g4mSoY6SeIvDKBad7AcUoY/s1600/Echo+caves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ0ToANFgoiC6Je8I7bzR3FNqZ3WOoSwaH99ajkyS1Hit4icGpCvXGY1gMORUazXgXUK9-X2Ldp3NF0Bc1ZB2xx2JsDLlywyGAkGLmxb20BEnzsyEs0_AX4g4mSoY6SeIvDKBad7AcUoY/s320/Echo+caves.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><i>Echo Caves</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; text-align: justify;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Echo Caves</span></b></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This underground wonderland located in the Mpumalanga region, west of the Kruger Park was discovered by a farmer who was looking for his cattle that continued to mysteriously disappear. They are more than 40 kilometers long and the name Echo was given to the cave, as a certain stalactite formation produces a distinctive echoing sound when tapped on. This echo can still be heard on the outside of the cave today. After exploring the cave it was soon realized that this dark underworld carried with it the most beautiful gems of nature.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u1:p></u1:p> <br />
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</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577603735492687833.post-57347789788772850892011-11-21T12:43:00.010+05:002012-01-24T16:16:39.018+05:00Treaty gives birth to peace park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri;">FIVE southern African presidents have signed a treaty giving birth to the world’s largest conservation area – roughly the size of Sweden.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The 444000km2 Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, known as Kaza, is the latest addition to Africa’s system of “peace parks” – vast conservation areas that straddle international borders and big enough to encompass entire biomes.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Peace Parks Foundation announced on Friday that the treaty had been signed at the Southern African Development Community summit in Luanda by the presidents of the five countries: Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia.</span></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It said the signing of the treaty affirmed the commitment these countries made in 2006 when they signed a memorandum of understanding to help establish the transfrontier conservation area.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The concept for the peace park was first agreed to by the five countries in 2003.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Kaza park is to include 36 national parks, game reserves, community conservancies and game management areas. It will also include the Caprivi Strip, Chobe National Park, the Okavango Delta and the Victoria Falls.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has about 250 000 elephants, the largest contiguous population of elephants in Africa.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The five states aim to ensure the natural resources they share across their international boundaries along the Kavango and Zambezi River basins are conserved and managed prudently for present and future generations, within the context of sustainable development,” the foundation said.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Peace parks are not the same as traditional national parks or game reserves. Although their purpose is conservation, there are a number of land uses, including agriculture, and people live in the parks.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The aim of establishing peace parks is to create a network of areas that link ecosystems across international borders, where the natural environment is protected. A network of these parks would create corridors for the movement of animals, crucial for the conservation of species.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The parks also aim to develop human resources and contribute to environmentally sustainable economic development.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They are called “peace parks” because this type of conservation and development is done in the hope of bringing stability to regions.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The Kaza Transfrontier Conservation Area is characterised by a mosaic of land uses, diversity of culture, peoples and languages, differing national capacities and natural resource management practices,” the foundation said.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Tourism development in the conservation area will be one vehicle for socio-economic growth in the region, aimed at improving the livelihood of the primary beneficiaries of the transfrontier park.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Former president Nelson Mandela said of peace parks: “I know of no political movement, no philosophy, no ideology, which does not agree with the peace parks concept as we see it going into fruition today.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It is a concept that can be embraced by all. In a world beset by conflicts and division, peace is one of the cornerstones of the future.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Peace parks are a building block in this process, not only in our region, but potentially in the entire world.”</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Reference: </span></b><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.iol.co.za/capetimes">http://www.iol.co.za/capetimes</a> </span></b></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 15.05pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Watch the below clip to see how the <b>Transfrontier Conservation Area<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>has affected a local community in Zambia...</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxHFK9gYqth9fkJwfsxQl3GWXyVHFtmlEteYiMrDZ7thlTWl3TbahpsMWgJ1sbpyeFWWm2GIip0ViI5YzSORw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0