Poros, Greece

Poros, at 31 nautical miles from Piraeus, is a Greek island, near Argolis. It is separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow channel (pass or poros in Greek) 250m, 400m wide. The crossing takes place throughout the day by taxi boats or boats equipped for vehicles. Poros is actually made of two islands connected by a bridge; Sphaeria; where the city and the port are located and Calauria. The islands are mountainous and green. Pine trees predominate but in cultivated areas we mainly find olive trees. The houses are built like an amphitheater on the hill. The most remarkable monument is the clock tower (1927) with the typical blue dome. There was the Temple of Poseidon (sixth century BC, Doric style) but unfortunately there is little left but the excavations are still going on. At the west of the island, you can see the ruins of ancient deposits of the Russian Navy dating back to 1834. These buildings were used as reserves for the Russian fleet sailing in the Aegean whose remains were declared historical monument. At the east of the island of Calauria we find the monastery of Zoodochos Pigi with a source with therapeutic properties at the entry.

Tips

Poros is accessible through the port of Piraeus daily with hydrofoils or speed boats (1 hour) or ferry (2h30, with 2 stops).
It is also connected by hydrofoils and ferries with other islands and towns of the Peloponnese depending the seasons.

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Laos

Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia limiting with Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. Mountains and plateaus occupy over 70% of the country; forest covers 44% of the country. Laos has opened up in 1986 in the ‘new economic mechanism’ and several countries have started to invest in the country but foreign investments remain modest and are mainly in tourism (hotels, restaurants, services) but it continues to be the one of the poorest countries in the world. The agricultural sector is the most important; we find rice, corn, starch, coffee, peanuts, cotton and tobacco. Its opening to tourism is fairly recent as well (1990). Vientiane, the capital, has many temples to visit and you can do it by renting a motorbike or bicycle; you can also take a stroll along the Mekong. Another way to know the country is on a guided boat tour through the Mekong. You can also enjoy other villages and areas of interest more easily. Another beautiful town to visit is Luang Prabang which was the old royal city; you will find interesting temples.

Tips

The rainy season is from May to September but try to avoid visiting during the months of October and November also because they can be rainy and have tails typhoons.

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Jemaa el Fna Square, Marrakech, Morocco

Jemaa el Fna Square is one of the main traditional and historical attractions of tourism in Morocco, located in Marrakech, near the Koutoubia Mosque and the souks and the Royal Palace, it belongs to UNESCO heritage. It is a lively place with lots of popular attractions such as snake charmers, fire-eaters, monkey tamers, acrobats, women who try to predict your future, tattoo artists with henna, orange juice squeezed even as street vendors and Moroccan craft vendors. There are grills that sell snacks to the tourists but it is best if you go to the restaurants that are around the square for hygiene and peace as you will be approached by a lot of vendors while you try to see all this animation. A visit in the afternoon is not the same as in the evening when it is much busier and there are more vendors. You can also take a horse drawn carriage for a tour of the city.

Tips

If you do not like to be approached by vendors of all sorts, it’s better not to visit the square because it can disturb you enough but if you want to know the real life of this special place, you should know that everything has a price even a photo, so ask before making a regret because you’ll be asked for money in a very insistent way.
If you are a little more adventurous, you can pose for a photo with the snake on your shoulders.
If you want to see this whole movement but more quietly, enjoy a restaurant terrace where you can take beautiful pictures of the square too.
If you care to buy something, you should always negotiate the price.

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