Las Pozas, Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Sculptures in Las Pozas, Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

The following information is from Wiki

Las Pozas is near the village of Xilitla, San Luis Potosí. The natural beauty of Xilitla inspired eccentric English artist Edward James to create Las Pozas (the Pools), a garden in a subtropical rainforest just outside the town of Xilitla.

Sculptures in Las Pozas, Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

It includes more than 80 acres (32 ha) of natural waterfalls and pools interspersed with towering surrealist sculptures in concrete. James' objective was to create a "Garden of Eden" at Las Pozas.

Waterfalls in Las Pozas, Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

Between 1949 and 1984, James built scores of surreal concrete structures with names like The House on Three Floors Which Will in Fact Have Five or Four or Six, The House with a Roof like a Whale, and The Staircase to Heaven.

Sculptures in Las Pozas, Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

There were also plantings and beds full of tropical plants, including orchids — there were, apparently, 29,000 at Las Pozas at one time — and a variety of small casas (homes), niches, and pens that held exotic birds and wild animals from the world over—James owned many exotic animals.

Sculptures in Las Pozas, Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

Massive sculptures up to four stories tall punctuate the site. The many trails throughout the garden site are composed of steps, ramps, bridges and narrow, winding walkways that traverse the valley walls. Construction of Las Pozas cost more than $5 million.

The above pictures were taken by Gary, KGH

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Diving and snorkeling in Sabang, Mindoro, Philippines

Sabang Harbour, Puerto Galera, Mindoro, Philippines.

The following information is from Wikitravel

Sabang is a small town located on the northeastern coast of Puerto Galera, Mindoro Island, Philippines. Most visitors to Sabang are attracted by the excellent SCUBA diving provided by the protected marine sanctuary.

Big la Laguna beach, Puerto Galera, Mindoro, Philippines.

The dive sites that feature a large variety of small sea life with the occasional shark or turtle. Several sites are drift dives and often turn into strong current dives with the best diving being at 18 m.

Beautiful ocean view from the guesthouse on top of the hill. 

Almost all of the dive sites are within a 10 minute boat ride of Sabang which allows you to spend your surface interval on the shore and it also allows most shops to offer as many as four dive trips each day.

Big bangka ferry from  Sabang to Batangas.

Big La Laguna Beach is the best for swimming and snorkeling with its clean sand and coral reef with cordoned swimming area prohibited to boats.

The above pictures were taken by Gary, KGH

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Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines

Snorkeling in Kayangan Lake, Coron, Philippines. 

The following information is from wikitravel

Coron is famous for its World War II wreck diving and snorkeling. There are around ten well preserved underwater shipwrecks surrounded with coral reef. Ocean attractions like Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake, Banol Beach, Twin Lagoon, Siete Pecados, Banana Island are great snorkeling sites.

Kayangan Lake ocean view from the summit. 

Kayangan Lake is judged as the cleanest lake in the country. Before approaching the lake, go over the cave and glimpse at the great view on top of the mountain. This view is the most photographed area in Palawan.

Beautiful white sand and shelter at Banol Beach.  

Twin Lagoon at high tide, one can swim through the hole of the rock or a walkway can be used to get to the other side of the lagoon.

Barracuda Lake is amazing for snorkeling and observing underwater rock formations. Banana Island is famous with it's white sand beaches and numerous Pacific Giant Clams.

Snorkeling boat and Coron island rock formation. 

The above pictures were taken by Gary, KGH

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Diving and Snorkeling in Ko Lanta, Thailand

Speed boat for diving in Ko Lanta, Thailand.

The following information is from Wiki and Wikitravel

Ko Lanta consists of several islands, the two largest of which are Ko Lanta Noi (Small Lanta Island) and Ko Lanta Yai (Big Lanta Island). Ko Lanta Yai is where all the tourist action is.

Long beach in Ko Lanta, Thanland. 

Koh Haa is the best site in Thailand for mixed groups of snorkelers and divers. In recent years Koh Haa has seen a large increase in the number of fish present at the reefs, due to committed conservation policies.

Beautiful sunset in Ko Lanta, Thailand. 

Hin Daeng and Hin Muang near Ko Lanta are perhaps the best dive sites in Thailand. The sites also have one of the world's highest incidences of manta ray sightings, with fairly frequent whale sharks.

Resort area in Long Beach, Ko Lanta, Thailand .

Speed boat from Ko Lanta to Ko Phi Phi has two departures at 08:00 and 13:00 per day, 350 baht.

The above pictures were taken by Gary, KGH

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Mu Ko Chumphon National Park, Thailand

Mu Ko Chumphon National Park, Thailand 

The following information is from Wiki

Mu Ko Chumphon National Park consisting of a group of islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of southern Thailand.

Snorkeling boat trip in Mu Ko Chumphon National Park, Thailand 

Mu Ko Chumphon National Park has many types of natural resources. It's forests, mostly tropical rainforest, are a type found only on the mountain and on large islands. They provide shelter and habitats for many living things.

Exploring sea caves in Mu Ko Chumphon National Park, Thailand 

There are nearly 40 islands which have long beaches, white sand, and clear water. There are also many colorful coral reefs which are attractive for snorkeling and scuba diving. Two of the islands are swiftlets' habitats, the birds' nests being used in birds' nest soup.

Shelters on the island used for picking up swiftlet nest many years ago. 

The above picture were taken by Gary, KGH

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Ko Tao, Thailand

Ko Tao and Ko Nang Yuan, Thailand

The following information is from Wikitravel.

Ko Tao, literally Turtle Island, is an island off the Central Gulf Coast of Southern Thailand and forms part of the Chumphon Archipelago.

The island is geared towards diving tourists more than backpackers on a budget and offers both basic through luxury accommodation. There are hardly any currents and a wide selection of dive sites and dive shops, schools and resorts.

July/August is actually high season. The Gulf of Thailand is on a separate weather system and is usually sunny. Monsoon is in Nov-Jan and can be constant rain for days at a time.

Marine life near Ko Tao. 

Scuba diving is still the biggest attraction on Ko Tao. Diving in Ko Tao is easy, fun, and you can see turtles, stingrays, barracudas, lots of small fish, reef sharks and there is a very small chance of seeing a whale shark.

At Chumphon Pinnacle you are likely to see juvenile bull sharks which have, until recently, been misidentified as grey reef sharks.

Sairee Beach , Ko Tao, Thailand 

Nearly any time of the year except November is good diving weather in Ko Tao and visibility can exceed 40 m. Average visibility is around 15-20 m, which in November is reduced to 5 m and the seas are choppy.

The above pictures were taken by Gary , KGH.

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Mu Ko Surin National Park, Thailand

Mu Ko Surin National Park, Thailand. 

The following information is from Wikitravel and Wiki

Mu Ko Surin National Park is situated in the Andaman sea 60 km from the coast of Phang Nga Province, Thailand. A few kilometers to the north of the park is the Myanmar border and about 100 km to the south are the Similan Islands.

Richelieu Rock is part of the Mu Koh Surin marine park although being about 18 km east of Surin island. It is commonly referred to one of the ten best dive spots in the world.

The main activity enjoyed by visitors is snorkelling and scuba diving. Accommodation takes the form of bungalows and tents.

Mu Ko Surin National Park, Thailand. 

Picture taken by Gary, KGH

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Similan Islands National Park, Thailand

Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea, Thailand. 

The following information is from WIKI

The Similan Islands is a group of islands in the Andaman Sea off the coast of southern Thailand. It is a national park, Mu Ko Similan, which was established in 1982.

Ko Similan is the largest island. The sea in the area has an average depth of 60 feet. Underwater it is full of rock formations and coral reefs in several shapes and forms, resembling such things as deer, leaves, brains, and mushrooms.

Similan National Park is famous for its dive sites. It has typically two different kinds of diving. East side diving consists of gently sloping coral reefs with sandy patches with the occasional boulder in-between. The west side is known for its huge underwater granite boulders with numerous swim-throughs.

the most famous east side dive site is East of Eden, off island number 7. Elephant Head Rock is arguably the most famous west side dive site with a maze of swim-throughs and the reputation for spin-cycle like currents running in every direction.

Diving and snorkeling in Similan Island National Park, Thailand 

Picture taken by Gary, KGH

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Red Lion Fish

Diving photo taken just off Mabul Island, Semporna, Malaysia

The following information is from WIKI

The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish found in the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive problem in the Caribbean Sea, as well as along the East Coast of the United States.

Red lionfish are clad in white stripes alternated with red/maroon/brown stripes. Adults in this species can grow as large as 47 cm (18.5 in) in length, making it one of the largest species of lionfish in the ocean, while juveniles are typically shorter than 1 inch (2.5 cm).

The average red lionfish lives around 10 years. As with many species within the Scopaenidae family, it has large, venomous spines that protrude from the body, similar to a mane, giving it the common name lionfish.

The venomous spines make the fish inedible or deter most potential predators.

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Sardine run in Moalboal, cebu, philippines

Moalboal is a small town on the South-West side of Cebu island, Philippines. It's mostly used as an entry point to Panagsama Beach, where most of the dive schools are.

Not far out from the beach shore in Panagsama Beach, there is a drop-off. Near that area there are countless reefs, with soft and hard corals, many different species of fish.

The popular "sardine run" area can be reached from the shore. Once in the water, wade or swim out towards the drop-off. Between shore and the drop-off, turtles can be seen eating sea weed.

Information Source : http://wikitravel.org/en/Moalboal
Video taken by Gary, KGH

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Apo Island, Negros Oriental, Visayas, Philippines

Apo Island is a volcanic island covering 74 hectares in land area, 7 kilometers off the southeastern tip of Negros Island. The marine habitat around the island is a marine reserve. It has become a popular dive site and snorkeling destination with tourists.

Apo Island, Negros Oriental, Visayas, Philippines. Diving tour.  ( Picture taken by Gary )

At present, the island is home to over 650 documented species of fish and estimated to have over 400 species of corals. Most of the Philippines' 450 species of coral can be found here, from tiny bubble corals to huge gorgonian sea fans and brain corals.

Apo Island diving tour. Gary with Sea Turtle. ( Picture taken by dive master )

Information source : Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apo_Island

Siquijor, Central Visayas, Philippines

Siquijor,  Central Visayas, Philippines ( Photo taken by Gary )

Siquijor is known for its scenic beauty and archaic churches, also blessed with natural and historical attractions. It lures nature lovers and adventurers to explore its numerous caves, springs and rivers, and to climb up Mount Bandilaan, the highest peak at the center of the island.

Being a coral island, it also invites diving enthusiasts to explore the reefs surrounding the island, teeming with marine life which have been remarkably left untouched.

Information resource : http://www.tourism.gov.ph/SitePages/InteractiveSitesPage.aspx?siteID=43

Balicasag Island, Bohol, Philippines.

Balicasag Island, Bohol, Philippines. 

The ocean around Balicasag Island is more than 40 meters (130 feet) deep. The steep coral covered slopes and walls of these protected waters contain schools of barracudas and jacks, banner and butterfly fishes, batfih, smaller nudibranchs and flatworms, and numerous varieties of anemones with their resident clownfishes.

Information resource : http://wikitravel.org/en/Diving_in_the_Philippines


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Thai friends, a family of four.

To : Thai friends, a family of four.

Would you please send email to us. Because I lost my smart phone, all your contact information, photo and video. Very sorry for that.

Wish all of you a happy new year.

Gary