Each year, thousands of spectators flock to Surf Avenue, Coney Island’s main drag, to watch King Neptune and Queen Mermaid lead a procession of beglittered seminude marchers in costumes through the neighborhood. Three thousand marchers and half a million spectators attended to see the celebration of culture and art, which featured floats, marching band and mermaids. The Mermaid Parade specifically was founded in 1983 with 3 goals: it brings mythology to life for local residents who live on streets named Mermaid and Neptune ; it creates self-esteem in a district that is often disregarded as “entertainment”; and it lets artistic New Yorkers find self-expression in public.

credit: Steven Pisano

Siam Park is an exciting adventureland set in its very own tropical paradise. At 18.5 hectares, Siam Park features a Siamese theme, and claims to be the most spectacular water attraction in Europe. The park was opened by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. There are over 30 rides at Siam park but start with a test to your nerves and plunge down the jaw-dropping Tower of Power.

Admission:

– Adults: 34.00 €
– Children (3-11 years): 23.00 €

Rides:

• – Vulcano: a four-person ProSlide Behemoth Bowl slide with a laser inside which produces a flashing image of a dragon
• – The Dragon: a ProSlide Tornado with a light show inside the 20-meter -wide funnel.
• – Wave Palace: a wave pool with an artificial white sand beach. At 3 meters high, its waves are the highest of any wave pool in the World. The park\’s surfing school will give surfing lessons at the Wave Palace.
• – Naga Racer: a six-lane racing slide
• – The Giant: twin ProSlide Cannon Bowls, one moving clockwise and one moving counterclockwise
• – Tower of Power: a vertical, transparent slide which sends riders through an area with sharks and stingrays.
• – Mai Thai River: the world\’s longest lazy river, which also has the highest elevation of any lazy river at 8 meters.
• – Jungle Snakes: four twisting slides which follow the park\’s terrain
• – Lost City: a children\’s play structure with 120 games
• – Mekong Rapids: a river rapids ride
• – Kinnaree: A new four-person 200-meter long ProSlide for 2012.

credit: steve p2008

Cuverville Island is a dark, rocky island lying in Errera Channel between Arctowski Peninsula and the northern part of Rongé Island, off the west coast of Graham Land in Antarctica. It hosts a large colony of breeding Gentoo Penguins, as well as a large number of South Polar and Brown Skuas. Antarctica is the world’s coldest continent, the world’s most extreme continent and the world’s southernmost continent.

credit: D-Stanley

Isolated Socotra, 220 miles from mainland Yemen, is home to a panoply of strange plants and animals uniquely adapted to the hot, harsh, windswept island. It has a tropical desert and semi-desert climate with an average temperature of 25°C and hardly any rain. The most famous and distinctive plant of the island of Socotra, the evocatively named dragon’s blood tree has a unique and bizarre appearance, its upturned, densely-packed crown having the shape of an upside-down umbrella.

credit: Rod Waddington

Gásadalur is a populated place and is located in Vágar, Faroe Islands with a population of 17 habitants. The estimate terrain elevation above seal level is 80 metres. It has an amazing waterfall right next to the village. It is named after its founder a lady called Gasa. She was a rich woman who lived in Kirkjubo in the 12th. century. The unique landscape and location attracts photographers with its fantastic play of light between sun, cloud, meadow, cliff, and sea.

credit: Stig Nygaard

credit: DavideGorla

credit: DavideGorla

credit: DavideGorla

credit: arne.list

credit: arne.list

credit: arne.list

credit: arne.list

credit: arne.list

Oahu may be number three in size among its fellow islands in the Hawaiian chain, but it is first in population. Nearly 900,000 people share Oahu’s 600 square miles of mountains and beaches. Oahu is also the most visited of all the Hawaiian islands, at approximately 4.5 million visitors annually. Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Waikiki are all located on Oahu. The island of Oahu is formed from the remnants of two large shield volcanoes, the older Waianae Volcano on Oahu’s west side, and the younger Koolau Volcano on Oahu’s east side.

Hanauma Bay

Kualoa Beach

Pounders Beach

Haleiwa Beach

Kailua Beach

Mokuleia, North Shore

Waiahole Sunrise

Sandy Beach

Kailua Beach

Golden Sunset at Ko’Olina

credit: Paloika

New Zealand has become synonymous with the Middle-earth of JRR Tolkien’s famous books since the release of the blockbuster Lord of the Rings film trilogy, directed by New Zealander Sir Peter Jackson. On the most picturesque private farmland you can visit the Hobbiton Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies in a fascinating two-hour guided tour. Due to copyright, all the intricately constructed movie sets around the country were dismantled after filming, but Hobbiton’s owners negotiated to keep their hobbit holes, which have been completely rebuilt for the filming of The Hobbit.

credit: hjjanisch

credit: hjjanisch

credit: hjjanisch

credit: hjjanisch

credit: hjjanisch

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  Anup Shah

credit:  gothic_sanctuary

credit:  gothic_sanctuary

credit:  gothic_sanctuary

credit:  gothic_sanctuary

Malta is a popular holiday destination and tourism is the nation’s main source of income. It is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea that lies south of the island of Sicily, Italy, between Europe and North Africa. Only the three largest islands Malta, Gozo and Comino are being inhabited. This european country offers such concentrated history, architecture and yes, beaches in so tiny an area. The national language is Maltese, which is part of the Semitic language family that includes Arabic. English is also recognised as an official language, and many Maltese also speak Italian.

Capital city: Valletta
Total area: 316 km²
Population: 0.4 million
Currency: Member of the eurozone since 2008 (€)

Citadella, Victoria, Gozo

Azure Window, Gozo

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieha

Luzzu in Mellieha Bay

Entrance to Our Lady of the Grotto, Mellieha

Kappella tas-Sagrament, Qawra

Luzzus in Marsaxlokk harbour

Marsaxlokk Parish Church

Grand Harbour panorama

Red Tower

Rotunda of Mosta

Mdina

Mdina

Western corner of Mdina

Statue of Anton Agius in Rabat

Howard Gardens, Rabat

Blue Lagoon, Comino

Blue Lagoon, Comino

Comino caves

Comino coastline

Maltese arched window, Marfa Ridge

credit: Shepard4711

Rapa Nui aka Easter Island is the Polynesian island found in the south east Pacific Ocean. It is famous for the large monumental Moai statues, rock art carvings and paintings with unique motifs. On average, statues stand 13 feet high and weigh 14 tons, human heads-on-torsos carved in the male form from rough hardened volcanic ash.

credit: Viajar24h.com

The main cetre of the Resort is made by magnificent buildings in the design of a Fijian canoe house. Buildings look like an ancient village in traditional style. Likuliku Lagoon features 45 bures, 10 of them suspended over a coral-reef lagoon, all with incredible views of the south pacific ocean. Likuliku belongs to the Top Ten Luxe List of “Destination Weddings+Honeymoons” by Magazine USA Best Inclusive Resorts. One more curiosity about Fiji: They are the latest country that stopped cannibalism. Cannibalism ended in the 1990s.