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Nature & the Environment

Nature & the Environment

The town in Spain with two time zones

Even the church looks surprised. Rihonor de Castilla is a town in Castilla y León with just over 100 inhabitants. Despite its small size, it can boast of being the only town in Spain with two time zones. How is it possible? Because, in reality, it belongs to two countries, Spain and Portugal. The village is situated to…

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Mountains come out of the sky

The first thing that strikes you when you visit Banff, Canada is the sheer size of the mountains.  Words can't describe it -  until you actually see it for yourself. And every time you round a bend in the road, an even bigger mountain presents itself.  It really is something that you need to experience…

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Floating Himalayas

In the remote northern region of Kashmir, the gorgeous Dal Lake provides livelihood to the growing population surrounding Srinagar city. But for a variety of reasons, the beautiful and historic region is under threat.  There has been a government conservation act in place for over two decades, but it will take even more than that to…

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Silence is golden

Sometimes there's nothing better than being out on your own, doing what you want to do on your schedule. And if you want a little peace, what could be a better choice than some of the expansive and - in many places - crowd-free places in Asia.  Just you, your backback, your phone and .…

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A mooving tale

Much of the developed world is rethinking how it eats.  Less meat, more vegetables, more water, less junk. One popular food that is booming is milk substitutes (we really like Chobani) as some of us can't (or won't) drink milk from an animal.  Some of us are simply looking for a more sensible alternative to help…

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Rick Steves believes

We love to travel, and we've been to (or lived in) more than thirty five countries in our lives.  We hope that you'll keep us in mind when you look for travel options.  We focus on self-travel options, but also have excellent tour companies, too.  See G Adventures, below. But, if you're looking for something else…

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Will you pack for Rúpac?

When you think of Peru, you usually think of Machu Pichu, which is logical, as it's the most well-known settlement in Peru.  But, it will also likely come as no surprise that it is not the only ancient settlement in Peru. The Archaeological Complex of Rúpac-Marca Kullpi, often known as the “Machu Picchu of Lima”,…

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Here’s a thought . . . why not take it easy?

It will likely come as no surprise to you that Scandinavian countries are regularly ranked at the top of the healthiest and happiest countries in the world.  Why? The Scandinavian diet is focuses on reducing starchy carbohydrates and substituting those calories with generous servings of healthy proteins, such as locally-sourced, cold-water fish, and organic vegetables. Scandinavians also…

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Horrifyingly good food

If you're not a horror film fan (or a vegetarian) look away now.  Just when you think it's safe to crawl out from under the sofa, another theme restaurant appears out of nowhere.  And this one is nothing like Chuck E. Cheese or Taco Bell. Some enterprising folks have repurposed the Texas Chainsaw Massacre gas station…

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Zanzibar-none!

You've likely heard of Zanzibar, especially if you're a fan of 1960's movies:  the country was everywhere, such as "West of Zanzibar", "Africa: Blood and Guts" and more. Zanzibar is a place where you should focus your attention on when you're looking for your next go-to destination.  You’ll enjoy clear, turquoise-blue water; shallow sandbars perfect…

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Mmmmm . . . . Bear Ears

Truth in advertising.  When it comes to obscure naming, this park is almost as bad as we are when it comes to that! Despite that, here is the truth.  Bears Ears National Monument is a United States national monument located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah, established by President Barack Obama by presidential proclamation…

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Conversations with the trees

They can hear you, you know . . . The hippies never really went away, and that's a good thing.  What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?  But, the hippie movement has changed shape over the decades, especially since we now better understand that we must partner with Mother Nature rather than subdue her. Thankfully, there…

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Ahhh . . . cool ocean freezes

When we think of beaches, we think of sun, fun and Mai Tais.  We long for the sun, the sunburn and sand between your toes.  And, sometimes you're also stepping over fellow sun worshippers. According to Today.com, 52 percent of respondents worldwide expected to vacation at the beach in the next 12 months.  That's a lot. …

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Guam is da bomb

Usually, when we think of the USA, we think of corn fields, Mount Rushmore, NYC and Yellowstone.  Hawaii comes to mind just as often, and rightly so. But, we know that our intrepid readers are often on the lookout for something different, perhaps a bit exotic, but certainly unique enough that they can show off their…

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ROAMania

If you're a walker, we have some good news for you, indeed. Romania is in the midst of building a 1,400km walking / hiking trail traversing the entire country. The Via Transilvanica will stretch from the country’s northern border all the way to the south and the Danube, at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeastern…

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Fish party

Pull up some sand and wait for the customers to arrive - in this case, they're  octopuses, moray eels, turtles and more. In a nightly event, at Dharavandhoo’s harbour in the Maldives, the sea creatures come in an orderly fashion to dine on the delights of the deep. From May to November, Dharavandhoo is the…

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Monaco-habitation

You can have it all, but sometimes Mother Nature stops you.  Take Monaco, for example.  In case you're unaware, Monaco is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the most expensive and…

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Mudlarking

If you're a regular reader here at Matouring, you'll know how much we love London.  We lived there and explored nearly every nook and cranny of that most celebrated of cities.  And every time we return, we find new gems to squeal about. One activity that you may not think about when in The Smoke is…

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Less guilty pleasures

As we always say, there's no getting around getting around.  Sometimes you want to, sometimes you have no choice.  And, given the fragile state of Mother Earth at the time of this writing, we humans really need to think long and hard about where we go, when we go and why. With that in mind, sometimes…

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