Maskarada Festival | Bonaire

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A group of people get on the streets and dance with colourful costumes and masks to welcome the new year. It is tradition that the Maskarada begin on New Year’s Day serenading and entertaining Bonaire’s Lt. Governor. After that, they will have two full days of visiting families in various neighborhoods of Bonaire.

They are fully costumed, so no one knows their identities. Not a word is spoken. That is, until the end of the day, when they are finally un-masked, and we learn just who has been entertaining us all day!

It is most likely that this traditon had African roots and was brought to the island by slaves. It reminded me of this postcard from Belize about Joncunu.

Tree sculptures on Galveston Island | USA

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Galveston Island is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States, about 80 km southeast of Houston. The island is about 40 km long and no more than 5 km wide at its widest point. About 48,000 live on this island.

On September 13, 2008, "giant" Hurricane Ike caused extensive damage in Texas, Galveston included. The damaging combination of powerful winds and waves destroyed thousands of threes. Some artists breathed second life into the trees: the Galveston Tree Sculptures.

Bove Island | Canada

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Bove island is located on Tagish Lake in the Yukon, Canada's most northern territory's.  The lake is more than 100 km long and about 2 km wide. The island is named after Lt. Giacomo Bove (1852-1887), a famous explorer.

The island of Lanzarote | Spain

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The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago located just off the coast of Morocco. Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro are the largest islands.

Timanfaya National Park is a Spanish national park in the southwestern part of the island of Lanzarote. The Mars-like landscape of this park is entirely made up of volcanic soil. It offers some of the most spectacular views in the Canary Islands.

Tchogha Zanbil | Iran

 

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The ruins of the holy city of the Kingdom of Elam, surrounded by three huge concentric walls, are found at Tchogha Zanbil. Founded 1250 B.C., the city remained unfinished after it was invaded by Ashurbanipal, as shown by the thousands of unused bricks left at the site.

Aquarium des Lagons | Nouvelle Caledonie

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The Lagoons Aquarium in Nouméa, capital of New Caledonia, hosts a variety of corals, fish, crustacean and marine mammals. The aquarium was entirely renovated in 2007 and is today one of the most popular tourist attractions in Nouméa.

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Kanak art, Issue 2014. The Kanak people are the native people of New Caledonia.

Kingston, the capital of Jamaica

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Jamaica is the third-largest island in the Caribbean. Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Jamaica? Probably things like reggae music, sun, sea and sandy beaches. But here is another view: New Kingston, the city's fast growing business district.

Archaeological Area of Herculaneum | Italy

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Located in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum (Ercolano in Italian) was an ancient Roman town, destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in 79 AD. Its ruins are located in the commune of Ercolano, Campania, Italy.

Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Archaeological site of Pompeii | Italy

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When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August AD 79, it engulfed the two flourishing Roman towns of Pompei and Herculaneum, as well as the many wealthy villas in the area.

Pompeii was a thriving city before the disaster, and it was known for its wealth. The settlement was located at the base of Mt. Vesuvius. They didn't even realize that it was a volcano! Volcano was not even a Latin word at that time. The volcano had been dormant for over 1,800 years.

Archaeological site of Oplontis | Italy

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Oplontis was an ancient Roman site near Pompeii in Italy. Today it refers to the group of villas in the middle of the modern town of Torre Annunziata. It is part of Unesco World Heritage site "Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata."

Oplontis is best known for the sumptuous Roman Villa Poppaea, once owned by the Emperor Nero. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried it under a deep layer of ash on August 24, AD 79.

Imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties | China

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The Ming and the Qing dynasties were the last two ruling imperial dynasties of China. The Ming dynasty for 276 years, from 1368 to 1644. The Qing dynasty from 1644 to 1912.

The Imperial Tombs are seven groups of tombs in five provinces of eastern China, which are included in the World Heritage by UNESCO.

Quiver trees | Namibia

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The quiver tree (or kokerboom in Afrikaans) is a tall, branching species of aloe, indigenous to parts of Southern Namibia. Bushmen traditionally used its branches to make quivers. A quiver is a container for holding arrows, bolts, or darts.

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The Dune Lark is Namibia’s only true endemic bird; their range is entirely within the borders of the country. The Dune Lark‘s preferred habitat consists of sparsely vegetated sand dunes, where it does not drink water but instead feeds solely on seeds or insects.

Lindau island | Germany

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Lindau is a major town and an island with the same name in Lake Constance (Bodensee in German). It is a unique location. In the middle of a clear lake, surrounded by an impressive panorama of the Alps.

Jesuit Missions | Paraguay

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Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue are part of a series of 30 missions in the Río de la Plata basin established by the the Jesuits during the 17th and 18th centuries. Seven of these missions were located in Paraguay and the rest in the present-day countries of Argentina and Brazil. (source http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/648)

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Unfortunately the card is heavily damaged. One stamp is missing.

Isla de Lobos | Uruguay

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Lobos is a small island located about 8 kilometres southeast of Punta del Este in Uruguay. Not to be confused with Lobos Island, part of Spain's Canary Islands. The island is home to more than 15,000 sea lions and 250,000 South American fur seals.

The origins of the lighthouse on this island date back to 1858. With its height of 59 meters, the tallest lighthouse of South America, you have a wonderful panoramic view of the island and the coast of Punta del Este.

The Abbey of Saint-Remi | France

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The Abbey of Saint-Remi is an abbey in Reims, France, founded in the sixth century.

The Abbey, together with the nearby cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims and Palace of Tau, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Old City of Zamość | Poland

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According to UNESCO the Old City of Zamość is a perfect example of a late-16th-century Renaissance town. It has retained its original layout and fortifications and a large number of buildings that combine Italian and central European architectural traditions.

Caves of Aggtelek Karst | Hungary

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The Caves of Aggtelek Karst (together with Slovak Karst) is a UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of 712 caves spread out over a total area of 55,800 along the border of Hungary and Slovakia.

The Baradla Domica cave system is part of the Aggtelek Karst. The cave is known for its  for its stalactites (the ones that hang from the ceiling).

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A matching stamp!

Floating Post Office | India

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That India has the largest number of post offices in the world is a known fact. But did you know that there is a floating post office in India too? This postcard pictures the first floating post office on Dal Lake.

The lakeside of Dal Lake is used to grow vegetables. Every day from 4am to 6am the vegeteables are sold on the floating market. It’s a wholesale vegetable market where farmers bring their products and vendors buy them to again sell them at the main market.

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A special floating post office postmark.

A prehistoric looking bird from Rwanda

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This magnificient bird is the shoebill, a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.

Green Turtle | Malaysia

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Malaysia is fortunate to host four species of sea turtles: Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill, and Olive ridley turtles. These gentle reptiles of the sea swim great distances and come on land only to nest.

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Ligitan is a small island in Tawau, Sabah, located east of the island of Borneo, in the Celebes Sea. In the past, the island (together with Sipadan island) was at the centre of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia. The dispute began in 1969 and was largely resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2002. The court decided that both of the islands belonged to Malaysia.

Thx Matthew for a great card!

Su Nuraxi di Barumini | Italy

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Su Nuraxi is an archaeological site in Barumini, a village located on Sardinia, Italy's second-largest island.

During the late 2nd millennium B.C. in the Bronze Age, a special type of defensive structure known as nuraghi developed on the island of Sardinia. These structures are unique in the world.

Su Nuraxi di Barumini is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Old Towns of Djenné | Mali

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Inhabited since 250 B.C., Djenné became a market centre and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. Its traditional houses, characterised by the intensive and remarkable use of earth, of which nearly 2,000 have survived, are built on hillocks (toguere) as protection from the seasonal floods.

The Old Towns of Djenné is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Honey Island | Brazil

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Ilha do Mel, which means Honey Island, is located 5 km off the Brazilian coast. Hikers, surfers, bird watchers, stargazers and nature lovers alike are in awe of all that this little Atlantic island has to offer. No cars on the island!

The Cave of the Enchanted (La Gruta das Encantadas) is located in the south part of this island. This cave is a place of legends, where beautiful mermaids attract men to the cave and never return home...

The Ilha do Mel Ecological Station covers the northern part of the island and is part of UNESCO World Heritage site Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves.

Easter carnival | Nigeria

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A colourful carnival is held each year in Lagos, Nigeria, at Easter time featuring fabulous costumes and street parties.