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Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí

Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí is an inland town in the province of Heredia, in Costa Rica. It is notable for attractive rain forest nearby, with wildlife viewing (particularly birdwatching) at inland sites and along the Rio Sarapiquí. Its population is 20,174.

Get in
Puerto Viejo is on Costa Rica highway 9, about a 2-hour drive from San José. This drive is not for the faint of heart; the road is not in top shape, aggressive drivers are frequent, and all manner of odd things are encountered on the road. If you're not used to driving in Costa Rica, it's a good idea to hire a driver.

Bus service connects Puerto Viejo and San José. Selva Verde Lodge (see under "Sleep") runs a shuttle to and from the San José airport.

Do
"Eco-tourism" is booming in the Puerto Viejo region. Some possibilities:

 * Boating on the Rio Sarapiquí is possible, using any number of outfitters in town. Wildlife encounters on the river are common; bring a good camera.
 * Estación Biológica La Selva, La Selva Biological Station , is a research facility 7 km east of Puerto Viejo operated by an extensive consortium of universities in Costa Rica and the United States. Guided tours are possible by advance arrangement, and are highly recommended for their access to "primary" (old-growth) rain forest. You probably will be guided by a biologist with a great deal of knowledge about the flora and fauna and a 60x scope on a tripod for exceptional closeups of the local wildlife.  A guided tour takes about 3 hours and costs US$35 (July 2016).  Accommodation available for visitors, who are expected to mix with researchers;  US$166/day for full board for two.

Go next

 * Braulio Carrillo National Park is nearby and offers additional opportunities to experience the rain forest.

title: Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí


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Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a small coastal town in Caribbean Costa Rica in the province of Limón. It is popular with surfers and backpackers. This is an area where foreigners are buying and building. There are two gorgeous national parks nearby - Cahuita and Manzanillo, and it rains more than on the Pacific side, which is why it is so lush and green with the rainforest coming down to the sea.

Clear water, coconut palms, great surf and a laid-back Caribbean atmosphere make Puerto Viejo a favorite among travelers. Located on the Caribbean Coast, about an hour south of Limon, Puerto Viejo is the center of activity between the smaller villages of Cahuita and Manzanillo. The relaxed, seaside town is framed by jungle, turquoise seas, banana plantations and scenic rivers.

Puerto Viejo used to be a small fishing village, but it has grown into a large tourist town. Avid surfers, drawn to the famous Salsa Brava waves, have made Puerto Viejo a hotspot on the surfing circuit. The center of town now has many souvenir and surf shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and tour companies. True to its beach location and Caribbean ambiance, bikes and pedestrians dominate road traffic along the coastal roads.

With its blend of Afro-Caribbean descendants, expat Europeans and indigenous Costa Ricans, Puerto Viejo charms visitors with a unique mix of people and cultures. Rastafari culture has a firm foothold in the town, and many Rastas sell handmade jewelry and other wares along the town’s vibrant roadside.

Understand
Before the Spanish arrival, the Bribri, Kekoldi and Cabecar indigenous peoples were the primary inhabitants of Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean. Later, Afro-Caribbean immigrants arrived, many from Jamaica, and settled in the coastal towns of Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva, Manzanillo and Monkey Point. Because of their influence, many Puerto Viejo natives today speak English as their first language.

Until the late 1970s, Puerto Viejo was relatively isolated from the rest of Costa Rica. In 1979, a new road connected the small village to San José and the Central Valley. In 1986, electricity arrived, supplying light and other important conveniences to the town. Private phone lines became available in 1996, and high-speed internet was offered in 2006. Today, Puerto Viejo is as modern as any beach town, though it still retains its original charm.

Get in
The local bus leaves 4-5 times a day direct from San Carlos Station in San José. Last bus leaves at 16:00 and all buses are direct with one pit stop outside of Limon. The ride is approx 4 hours. Make sure you get on the bus to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, not de Sarapiquí which is a different part of the country.

If you want to save a few colones, you can take local bus from Caribe station to Limón and transfer to Puerto Viejo bus. This is what many locals do.

There are also tourist buses that will pick you up at your hotel and drop you off where you want. The most popular one is Easy Ride Shuttle Services they run daily from San José hotels to Puerto Viejo at 06:00, 10:30 and 15:30, returning daily at 06:00, 10:30 and 15:30. The rate is US$45 one way per person. Add $10 from or to SJO Airport. There is also Grayline.

Driving here is also popular, but roads can be bad as at certain times of the year, the pot holes can get obnoxious. However, you really don't need a car when you are here. Most people rent bicycles and scooters. The roads may not be all paved, but they are flat as they all follow beach line.

Get around
The bus system is very limited. Busing between the beaches takes some planning, with a reliable bus running between Limòn and Manzanillo every two hours. Busses run on schedule and are approximately US$0.50/town, two towns over is ₡620. Taxis are frequent but most are not marked, so be wary. Taxies cost approximately UaS$4/town so going two towns over is $8. Most lodges have bicycles for rent and there are many other bike rental locations. They are usually $5/day but haggling or extended rental times can get you a lower price. Bikes are everywhere and work well for getting around, especially if you make sure to get one with a front basket for groceries, breach gear, or a kid. Gears aren't necessary. Taxis hang out in the center of town and will take you anywhere you want to go up and down the coast. When taking a taxi, make sure to negotiate your price ahead of time. Most of the taxi drivers know the area extremely well and can find their way with just the name of your hotel.

See
Tropical forest surrounds the village and palm trees line the beach, adding to Puerto Viejo’s natural beauty. Travelers can glimpse spectacular wildlife in Cahuita National Park or the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, which border the town to its north and south, respectively. Just south of Puerto Viejo, visitors will discover the sublime beaches of Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita and Punta Uva. The road connecting the villages has been paved, but has many potholes and bumps, causing bikes and cars to swerve unexpectedly. The road is shared by cars, pedestrians, bikes, buses, dogs and motorcycles, creating a dangerous yet social experience in every trip. Beachfront cabins, restaurants and shops line the street, almost all the way to Manzanillo. There is no shortage of accommodations in the area; numerous budget hostels cater to surfers and young backpackers that frequent the area, while posh resorts offer comfort and luxury along with impressive ocean views.

Black and white sand beaches extend for miles; they are wide and often deserted, offering stretches ideal for walking and sunbathing. Snorkeling is excellent when the water is calm, and nearby Cahuita and Manzanillo are home to beautiful, living coral reefs that provide some of the best snorkeling in Costa Rica.
 * The beaches are gorgeous, but like everywhere in Central America, watch those riptides.
 * There are beautiful birds, butterflies and animals to be seen.
 * Refugio de gandoca de Manzanillo: the beauty of this refuge is incredible because of its forest, lagoons, coral, reefs and white sand beaches and is the most exotic place of the entire South Caribbean coast. This refuge protects 4500 ha of sea; 15 km of coast and 5000 ha of plants and hills which maximum height is 115 m.
 * Indian reserve in High talamanca and rite with shaman.
 * Indian reserve in High talamanca and rite with shaman.

Do

 * Cocles beach (Playa Cocles) lies 1.5 km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong. The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Fine beaches will receive you with its white sand, yellow, grey and black.
 * Cocles beach (Playa Cocles) lies 1.5 km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong. The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Fine beaches will receive you with its white sand, yellow, grey and black.
 * Cocles beach (Playa Cocles) lies 1.5 km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong. The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Fine beaches will receive you with its white sand, yellow, grey and black.
 * Cocles beach (Playa Cocles) lies 1.5 km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong. The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Fine beaches will receive you with its white sand, yellow, grey and black.
 * Cocles beach (Playa Cocles) lies 1.5 km from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a small village known for its mixture of indios Brì Brì, Caribbean black culture, and sheltered by Gandoca-Manzanillo natural reserve on the brink of the Panamanian border.All the wonders of primordial tropical paradise can be found here: palm trees swinging on tranquil beaches, the tones of purple, orange and red merging into the sea at sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of reggae, calypso music and exotic birdsong. The region extends from Limon to the border with Panama. Fine beaches will receive you with its white sand, yellow, grey and black.

Eat

 * Chili Rojo, British-run Thai fusion cuisine. Sushi night every Monday: all you can eat sushi for only ₡6,000. Located on the top floor of the shopping center on the main street, across from A.T.E.C. Great views from the balcony bar.
 * De Paso, Argentinian-run restaurant on the wooded path to Cocles, 20 m from the beach. Excellent tacos and daily seafood specials. They are well known for their baked goods.
 * Pan Pay, Right on the beach front. Good Bakery. breakfast, excellent coffee, decent prices. Run by two guys from Spain. A very popular spot in the morning.
 * Pizza Boruca, Tasty pizza by the slice. They also sell delicious Argentinian empanadas.
 * Soda Lydia, Casados with Caribbean Sauce. Good value.
 * Soda Lydia, Casados with Caribbean Sauce. Good value.

Sleep
Instead of huge hotels, there are lots of ecolodges from basic to luxury, and lots of places to eat and party. Many hotels are located along the coastal road going to Manzanillo.

Go next
The small road goes further south through villages like Cocles and Punta Uva, both with small houses for rent.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca


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Puget Sound

Puget Sound is geologically a big fjord, a semi-enclosed body of water with its northern boundary marked by Admiralty Pass and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, first mapped by Captain George Vancouver. Salt water from the nearby Pacific Ocean mixes with fresh water runoff from the surrounding watershed in western Washington, in a sheltered arm of ocean between Seattle and the mainland of Washington State to the east and the Olympic Peninsula to the west. The southern boundary is marked by where the mainland and the Olympic Peninsula meet, near Olympia. It is the second largest estuary in the United States, with of shoreline. The Puget Sound watershed covers nearly and consists of over ten thousand rivers and streams that drain into the Sound.

The Puget Sound Region consists of Puget Sound itself, the islands of Puget Sound, the Kitsap Peninsula, plus the mainland counties which form both the western and eastern sides of Puget Sound leading up to the edges of the watershed in the high crests of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Counties with this area include: Island, Snohomish, Kitsap, King, Pierce, and Thurston

Regions
It is difficult to break down Puget Sound into smaller regions because there are so many different geographic, cultural and political ideas that it entails. Locals generally refer to Puget Sound as both the body of water and the geographic area surrounding it, but even different bodies of government define Puget Sound as having different physical boundaries. For the sake of clarity Wikivoyage uses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)official breakdown into five main regions.

 * North Puget Sound region lies north of the Admiralty Inlet and Port Townsend and west of Whidbey Island. Includes the city of Bellingham and the picturesque San Juan Islands.
 * King County, where Seattle is located, also has some unique suburbs, such as Bellevue, Redmond, Woodinville, Kent and many others that extend north, east and south from the core. Bordered to the west by the Kitsap Peninsula this region also includes Vashon Island and Blake Island.
 * Kitsap Peninsula
 * Whidbey Basin separates Whidbey Island from Camano Island the mainland and includes the city of Everett, at the north end is the famous and turbulent Deception Pass.
 * South Puget Sound region includes the cities south of Tacoma and the state capital at Olympia, further south.
 * Hood Canal stands as its own separate hook shaped branch of Puget Sound and separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula

Cities
The Puget Sound Region has many cities, check in the subregion articles for more of them. Some areas might be mentioned here but be covered more broadly in other subregion articles. For example Port Townsend is on the shores of Puget Sound, but it is part of the Olympic Peninsula subregion.
 * lies across Lake Washington to the east of Seattle. It is the fifth largest city in the state.
 * is the main city within the Kitsap Peninsula. This harbor town is fun place to explore.
 * is the main city on the North Sound.
 * small historical harbor town near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
 * lies at the southernmost bit of Puget Sound. It is the beautiful state capital.
 * classic harbor town with downtown shopping area on the Kitsap Peninsula. It is the county seat of Kitsap County.
 * historic port with its turn of the century buildings is popular with tourists.
 * , home of Microsoft, is on the Eastside of Seattle and offers parks, shopping, and more.
 * is by far the largest city in the region. It is the heart of a vibrant metropolitan area and a major tourist destination.
 * is a popular town on the Kitsap Peninsula with amazing views of Puget Sound.
 * is another major city in the South Sound. Formerly mostly industrial, the city center has been beautified, and the city now offers attractions such as the famous Museum of Glass, Point Defiance Park, and the Washington State History Museum. It is county seat of Pierce County and home to University of Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), and Joint Base McChord Military Installation.

Other destinations
Puget Sound area offers a vast variety of areas from thick rain forests and rocky wild rivers to sophisticated urban areas with an international cultural influence.

History
Puget Sound's complex series of waterways were formed from receding glaciers that left the area about 14,000 years ago cutting deep into the land forming valleys that eventually flooded creating the intricate landscape that we know today.

According to scientific data, the first people arrived in Puget Sound about 12,000 years ago, but according to native Suquamish people, legend says that all of the earth was water, then the Old One dried the land and created everything from mud; he used the last mud balls from the earth to create the people. Then he sent Coyote to teach the people how to live with the earth, Coyote traveled the earth teaching the people and making life better for them.

By 1792, when Captain George Vancouver named the area after one of his officers and declared the area for Great Britain, the Suquamish and Salish people had already developed a multifaceted and complex society of their own. The Suquamish people called Puget Sound the Lushootseed name 'WulcH, which simply means "Salt Water". For thousands of years, the Suquamish traveled the waters of Puget Sound in well designed cedar canoes, and before settlers developed roadways, a complex series of ferries known as the ‘Mosquito Fleet’ was also the main way people and goods were transported around the area, and the waters of Puget Sound became the first regional highway.

Once the Washington Territory was established in 1853, the U.S. government began signing treaties with area tribes to acquire their lands. The Suquamish people ceded most of their land to the United States and logging came into the area in full force. The area's once impassable thick forests gave way to farms, towns and industry, as lumber was shipped off to areas such as San Francisco or burned as fuel for the growing fleet of boats.

Today, the area has grown in international influence with economic powerhouses such as Boeing, Starbucks and Microsoft whose global reach is far beyond Washington State borders. Seattle is the largest cosmopolitan city, with millions of people, and the region's cultural influence is profound, with many artistic and cultural endeavors reaching an international audience. Yet, though all of this growth and change, the people of the region are still tied to Puget Sound not only for transportation and a source of food, but as the symbolic center of their area's culture.

Boundaries
Despite common belief and contrary to widespread usage there is some debate on the exact boundaries of the area we call Puget Sound. For the sake of clarity we are using the boundaries established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which draws the northern border along the Canadian border and Strait of Georgia. In 2009, the area that contains the Strait of Juan De Fuca, all of Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia was named the Salish Sea, in honor of the Indigenous people of the region (referred to as 'First Nations' people by Canadians).

Talk
The Pacific Northwest accent spoken in the Puget Sound region is considered very similar to the General American standard accent (native to the Midwest), popularized in the 20th century by radio, TV and movies. People in the area generally have little to no problem understanding different accents of the English language. The Pacific Northwest attracts tourists from around the world, and it is common to hear many foreign languages being spoken in public in major tourist areas.

There are ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the Seattle area where many languages are spoken, including a large International District where many Asian languages are spoken. Washington is the thirteenth most populated state for example, but by comparison has the fourth highest Asian population. Seattle's 98118 zip code centered around the Columbia City neighborhood in South Seattle is considered the most ethnically diverse zip code in the country by the US Census bureau with 59 different languages regularly being spoken.

Chinook Jargon was a pidgin or trade language established among indigenous inhabitants of the region. After contact with Europeans, French, English, and Cree words entered the language, and "eventually Chinook became the lingua franca for as many as 250,000 people along the Pacific Slope from Alaska to Oregon." Chinook Jargon reached its height of usage in the 19th century though remained common in resource and wilderness areas, particularly but not exclusively by Native Americans and Canadian First Nations people, well into the 20th century. Chinook Jargon was still in use in Seattle until roughly the eve of World War II, making Seattle the last city where the language was widely used. Today its influence is felt mostly in place names and a handful of localized slang terms. Pronunciation of some of these terms is difficult and often separates the visitor from the local including Alki, Seattle, Kitsap, Yakima, Duwamish and Lummi.

By plane

 * , universally nicknamed "Sea-Tac", is in the city's southern suburbs. Domestically it's a major hub for Northwest and West Coast destinations with direct flights to most major cities in the U.S., and internationally it handles frequent trans-Pacific routes, as well as direct flights to Canada, Mexico, the major European airports and Dubai in the Middle East. The airport is about a 25-minute drive from downtown Seattle when there isn't heavy traffic, much longer during rush hour. All information about the airport, including any means of ground transportation, is covered in a separate article.
 * has scheduled flights to Seattle, Las Vegas, and Honolulu, through Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines. Allegiant Air has service to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs (seasonal), Phoenix, and San Diego. San Juan Airlines has commuter flights to the island towns of Eastsound, Friday Harbor, Lopez, and Roche Harbor, plus Vancouver, Canada. If traveling with Allegiant Airlines this is the only airport closest to Seattle and Vancouver they offer service to.
 * Most of its traffic are with Boeing test flights, general aviation, VIP flights and commercial cargo flights. There are limited commercial passenger services with Kenmore Air and JetSuite X from its small passenger terminal at 7277 Perimeter Rd S
 * are another popular way to travel around Puget Sound with several airlines based out of Seattle including Kenmore Air serving areas all around Puget Sound and Canada and Harbour Air to Vancouver's Coal Harbour. Kenmore Air offers shuttle transfer from SeaTac to their terminal on the shores of Lake Union and King County International Airport (Boeing Field).
 * are another popular way to travel around Puget Sound with several airlines based out of Seattle including Kenmore Air serving areas all around Puget Sound and Canada and Harbour Air to Vancouver's Coal Harbour. Kenmore Air offers shuttle transfer from SeaTac to their terminal on the shores of Lake Union and King County International Airport (Boeing Field).

By train
Amtrak has three train services that serve the Puget Sound area. Cities served are Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Olympia, Edmonds, and Everett: see the "Get in" sections of those cities for more details. For more information about travelling by train in the United States see Rail travel in the United States.
 * The Coast Starlight train starts in Seattle and heads south through Tukwilla, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, and ultimately San Francisco and Los Angeles in California.
 * The Empire Builder starts in Seattle, goes to Everett then heads east across the mountains to Spokane and eventually Minneapolis and Chicago.
 * Amtrak Cascades is a regional train service that goes north from Seattle to Vancouver and south to Portland and Eugene.

By car
I-5 is the main freeway running north-south; going north to Vancouver and south to Portland and California. I-90 goes east from Seattle to Spokane, Chicago and ultimately Boston. Other east-west routes include US-2 over Stevens Pass from Everett and SR-410 from Tacoma (closed in winter).

By bus
See By bus under Get in in the Seattle, Bellevue and Olympia articles and By shuttle bus under Ground Transportation in the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport article for an extended list of bus and shuttle companies connecting travelers into the Puget Sound region from the airport, from around the state and from the nearby cities of Vancouver and Portland. See By bus under Get around in below for a list of bus companies serving the Puget Sound Region.

By cruise ship
Cruise ships to Seattle may be docked at one of two terminals in the Port of Seattle.

 * , 2225 Alaskan Way S, near the middle of Seattle downtown's waterfront, serves as home port for Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises. Has bus, taxi and shuttle connections for transfer of passengers and luggage.  For travelers with connecting flights, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is less than 15 mi (24 km) away.
 * , 2001 W Garfield St, at the north end of Seattle's downtown waterfront, serves as home port to Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises.

By boat
It is not coincidence that so many cities in this region are located on the water. Early settlers found the thick regional forests too impenetrable to navigate by land so waterways became the Pacific Northwests early highway system.

However when arriving from Canada there are only a handful of ports including Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor, Anacortes and Bellingham that are official U.S. ports-of-entry and can process boaters through customs. The Cardinal Rule is touch land at customs dock before any other stops, fines for not doing so can be up to $5000. Besides a passport for everyone on board, you will need your boat's license number and User Fee Decal number.

Customs enforces USDA guidelines for what foods are acceptable to bring into the country and these guidelines are constantly changing so it is best to check in with them before arriving. Boaters are responsible for knowing the prohibited foods and can be fined for not declaring them.

The Puget Sound region offers a wide variety of guest marinas throughout the area. Check city listings for specific marina information.

 * The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has the largest state-managed mooring system in the United States. The commission manages more than 40 marine parks in Puget Sound that together provide more than 8.500 feet (2.591 m) of public moorage space.

By ferry
Washington State Ferries is the largest system of ferries in the country and they are the key to successfully navigating Puget Sound. Many ferry destinations are not islands without a bridge, but peninsulas where going by land would involve a very long detour. The most extreme example of this is the Port Townsend -- Keystone route on State Hwy 20. Only five and a half miles (9 km) via the ferry, becomes a whopping 217 miles (354 km) traveling by car!

Washington State Ferry routes cross Puget Sound including several islands including Bainbridge, Vashon, Whidbey and the San Juan Islands. There are also some county-run ferries to smaller destinations such as to Anderson Island and Guemes Island.

By car
Outside the main cities public transportation is scarce and is not of much use for extensive sightseeing, so renting or arriving by car is advisable. Although distances can be long, most roads are paved and well-maintained. Be aware of distances between gas stations and plan accordingly when traveling in rural areas. Most ferries accept vehicles and utilizing them is key to navigating the area.

By train

 * operates commuter trains from Seattle King Street Station to Lakewood via Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Sumner, Puyallup, Tacoma Dome, South Tacoma and Lakewood to the south and north to Everett via Edmonds and Mukilteo on two separate routes. Schedules are limited to weekday rush hours and Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners home game days.

 * regionally they serve Bellingham, Mt Vernon, Stanwood, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle King Street Station, Tukwila, Tacoma and Lacey (nearest to Olympia). They operate 2x daily going north from Seattle to Vancouver and 4x daily south towards Portland on two separate routes. Check schedules. The Amtrak Coast Starlight runs the same route with the same stops (except Tukwila) as the Cascades between Seattle and Lacey. In Tacoma the Amtrak station and the Sounder stations are in two different places.

By bus
Regional transit systems tend to be organized by county however they are often interconnected to cover larger areas and some are coordinated with Washington State Ferries, with each other (for one to arrive within minutes of the next one leaving) and have many coordinated pickups at Seatac airport. Not the fastest way to travel but efficient and cheap for the budget traveler and are the only way available in the (more rural) areas west of the Puget Sound. See the below:

Along West Side of Puget Sound With the exception of the Dungeness Line, the county operated transit systems are the only way around the Olympic Peninsula without a car on the west side of the sound. Schedules are less frequent on rural routes then local services within the cities/towns.

Along East Side of Puget Sound The eastside is more populated and therefore, offer more frequent schedules on more routes. If you're trying to get from Olympia to Port Townsend, Bremerton or Widbey Island it would be quicker to get a series of buses up into Seattle and taking the ferry across than the buses along the west side of the Sound.

By light rail
Light rail is growing rapidly in the area, but only one line is operating, from Angle Lake Station in Des Moines to University of Washington Station next to Husky Stadium, with stops at SeaTac Airport, South Seattle, Downtown Seattle, and Capitol Hill along the way. Construction is already underway to extend the light rail south from Angle Lake to Federal Way and north from University of Washington to Northgate. Plans and eventual construction are underway to further extend the light rail from Federal Way to Tacoma and from Northgate up to Everett via Lynnwood and from Seattle to the eastside all the way through 2040.

See

 * Deception Pass Bridge, a National Historic Monument since 1982, is actually two spans that link Whidbey Island near Oak Harbor to Fidalgo Island over Canoe Pass and Deception Pass. The bridge, one of the scenic wonders and destinations of the Pacific Northwest, was a Public Works Administration project built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Deception Pass State Park, has over 4,100 acres (17 km²) of forest, campsites, trails, and scenic vistas of the San Juan Islands, Victoria (British Columbia, Canada), Mount Baker, and Fidalgo Island.
 * Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve preserves and protects an unbroken historical record of Puget Sound exploration and settlement from the 19th century to the present. Historic farms, still under cultivation in the prairies of Whidbey Island, reveal land use patterns unchanged since settlers claimed the land in the 1850s.
 * Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve preserves and protects an unbroken historical record of Puget Sound exploration and settlement from the 19th century to the present. Historic farms, still under cultivation in the prairies of Whidbey Island, reveal land use patterns unchanged since settlers claimed the land in the 1850s.

Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula is almost an island attached by a relatively small landmass near Belfair, its complex coastline dominates the Puget Sound area between Hood Canal and the Main Puget Sound Channel. It is home of several cities and towns and is accessible by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge near Tacoma and the floating Hood Canal Bridge giving access on the northern end to the Olympic Peninsula and to several ferry terminals giving access from Seattle and Edmunds.

Islands

 * Anderson Island - southernmost island in Puget Sound.
 * Bainbridge Island - residential island connected by bridge to Kitsap Peninsula and ferry from Seattle.
 * Blake Island - state park between Seattle and the Kitsap Peninsula.
 * Fidalgo Island - 2nd most populous island and ferry terminal to the San Juans.
 * Fox Island - forested island near Gig Harbor.
 * Hartstine island - serene forested island with a state park.
 * Lummi Island - quiet island served by a small ferry.
 * Vashon Island - served by ferries from Tacoma and Seattle.
 * Whidbey Island - longest island in Puget Sound.

Other areas

 * Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve - Historical features of the reserve appear to today's visitors much as they did a century ago, when New England sea captains were drawn to Penn Cove
 * Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park - offers a glimpse at the stories of adventure and hardship of the gold rush
 * Mount Rainier National Park - an active Cascade volcano encased in over 35 square miles (91 km2) of snow and glacial ice
 * Big Four Ice Caves — caves carved in the year-round glaciers on the shadowed side of Big Four Mountains by streams of snowmelt
 * Crystal Mountain

Beachcombing
What Puget Sound beaches lack in white sand and warm water is more than made up for in the amazing scenery as the clear waters play against wild coastlines and snow peaked mountains scatter on the horizons. The areas many State Parks are an excellent place to start a beach combing adventure offering miles of beaches from the rugged to the sandy smooth. Small crabs, moon snails, sea stars and sand dollars are common sites and tide pools can offer hours of exploration.

Sea shells and driftwood are considered part of the natural environment and should not be removed, however the often rocky and wild shores are havens for creating and revealing beach glass and anything artificial found is fair game for removal. Be respectful of private property and gentle with sea creatures. Keep a wide distance away from nesting birds, seals and other shore animals and always put back anything removed from the shoreline.

Boating
Puget Sound offers some of the best recreational boating in the world. Breath taking views of the snow capped Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges along with glimpses of Mount Rainier mingle with thick forests and clear bays and streams to create a humbling cacophony of natural sights. Carved by ancient glaciers, Puget Sounds intricate and complex waterways provide endless opportunities for exploration while the many harbor towns built on protective bays cater to boaters and provide a wide array of services, restaurants and shops. Harbor Seals, Otters, Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Blue Herons are common sights while the occasional viewing of an Orca or Grey Whale is not out of the question.

Sailing
The Puget Sound is a destination celebrated by sailors from around the world. The scenery around Puget Sound can be so amazing that it borders on the surreal and could only possibly be appreciated more from the deck of a boat under sail. From isolated moorages in such places as Blake Island State Park to historic harbor towns with fine restaurants, museums and shopping all accessible from convenient harbors. Visitors to the area will often be treated to the sight of a flotilla of sailboats on Puget Sound as local yacht clubs organize events that sometimes attract hundreds of sailors. These ‘races’ such as the Gig Harbor Yacht Club Islands Race are often informal events that are more of an opportunity for fraternization and attract many types of sailboats and many different skill levels of sailors.

Sea kayaking
Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Puget Sounds miles of coastline allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings and making Puget Sound a popular area to sea kayak. Both urban and rural areas offer their own rewards and many organized tours are available in different areas.

Kayak trails
Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps of appropriate travel lengths and scenic travel destinations. For thousands of years native Salish tribes navigated these waters in small, well designed wooden boats and many of these trails were developed along their same paths.

Bird watching

 * Go bird-watching and see some of the 300+ species of birds found in Puget Sound.

Scuba diving
Diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than other warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. The area contains some of the best diving in the world and many areas are accessible from the Kitsap Peninsula. Many dive sites are completely covered with colorful sea creatures that defy description. Giant Pacific Octopus are common, along with friendly wolf eels. Colorful sponges, sea cucumbers, sea stars, soft corals, anemones and fish can be seen on nearly every dive. The state has offers a guide to parks with launch sites here

Eat
The Pacific Northwest is a foodie’s dream come true. Talented chefs and entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the northwest’s incredible seafood, abundant locally sourced produce, award-winning wines, and a well developed beer brewing tradition to establish a regional cuisine that trumps just about any other area in America. The Puget Sound region offers top of the line restaurants squirreled away in almost every neighborhood Pacific north westerners have high expectations from their food.

The Pacific North West is perhaps best known for its salmon, but a large variety of other seafood is available in the area. Oftentimes seafood comes in short bursts with seasonal migrations such as the areas fall Salmon runs available for only short amounts of time so watch closely for seasonal specials in restaurants and markets.

Shellfish are the prized resources of the Puget Sound, the cool, clean waters provide some of the finest shellfish habitat in the world. Washington State is the nation’s leading producer of farmed bivalve shellfish (clams, mussels and oysters) but other specialties like Geoducks are sometimes available for the more adventurous.

The Dungeness Crab is a popular seafood prized for its sweet and tender flesh and high ratio of meat. Its common name comes from the port of Dungeness, Washington where the first commercial harvesting of the crab was done. The Dungeness Crab is a commercially important crab in the state of Washington's territorial waters and was the first shellfish harvested commercially in the area but other crab species are also common.

The areas mild climate, rich soil and abundant water resources have created a bountiful climate for the many varieties of fresh produce available across the region. Farmers markets are common in both urban and rural areas and a great way to experience local culture as well as experience local foods.

Drink
Few, if any, American regions can challenge the Pacific North West's love of coffee. According to a group of industry market researchers, there were an amazing 1,640 coffee shops in the Puget Sound region in 2011, ranking it the most popular coffee region. It is not surprising that such coffee giants such as Starbucks have exported the Pacific Northwest's coffee culture around the globe.

Microbreweries and beer in general are a Northwest specialty, and the area has many to offer for beer enthusiasts. The larger brewers, like Redhook and Pyramid, distribute their products regionally or nationally like their coffee cousins, while other brews can only be found in local stores or bars (some notable brewers don't even bottle their product). Ask your servers for local beer recommendations and search out regional microbrews in stores. Hops are the key ingredient in beer making and Washington State's neaby Yakima Valley is by far the biggest exporter of hops in the US giving area brewers another edge in making the best beers. Vineyard in Willamette Valley

There are many great wineries spread across the Puget Sound region such as The Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, which is not only the oldest winery in the state but is the largest single producer of Riesling wine in the United States.

Stay safe
Puget Sound is such a broad and varying region it is difficult to give specific safety advice. From large cities where common sense should prevail when dealing with valuables to remote forests where you should keep a watchful eye out for wildlife. Check various subregion and city articles for more specific information.

Go next

 * Olympic National Park
 * Olympic Peninsula
 * Port Townsend
 * Sequim
 * Vancouver
 * Vashon Island
 * Victoria (British Columbia)

title: Puget Sound


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Pukanec

Pukanec is a city in Central Slovakia.

Climate
Pukanec's location and the orientation of the slopes determine its warm, mild humid climate with mild winters. Summer lasts approximately 50 days (with the temperature above 25° C), the average annual temperature is 9° C. Snow cover lasts 75 days in average. Uhliská village with its height of 625m above sea level offers good conditions for skiing as well.

Get in
Former free royal and mining town of Pukanec lies on the root of the southeast slopes of the Štiavnické Mts., in the northern part of the Bátovská fold between historical towns Banská Štiavnica and Levice, on the border of Western and Central Slovakia.

Get around
The educational route

There is designed educational route "In the track of old ore mining in Pukanec". You can see some nice historical gold-mining artefacts.

See
St. Nicolas' church, the City walls, the Holy Trinity sculpture, folk architecture, beautiful woods and surroundings (Majere, Uhliská, etc.)

Black mulberry trees in Pukanec: There are more than 700 specimens of the black mulberry tree in Pukanec and surroundings what is the richest occurrence of this rare tree in Europe. Among the inhabitants and visitors as well it became popular especially for the delicious taste of its red and black fruit.

Do
Walking, hunting, cycling, orienteering, cross-country skiing

Buy
Local wellknown handmade ceramics.

Eat
Try local food "Trhance"

Drink
The tradition of winegrowing in Pukanec is hundreds years old. There are delicious white wines (from varieties Feteascá Regalá, Műller Thurgau, Riesling, White Pinot, Gruner Veltliner) and red wines (from Gamay or Saint Laurent).

Wine cellars called ľochy were sunk by the local and German miners more than a hundred years ago. They are either one or two storey rooms of different size and depth. The biggest cellars are more than 20m long and 3m high, in some cases with side corridors. Nice place to drink some local wine with best view on the country side...

Also try local plum brandy Slivovica.

Sleep
Accommodation in Pukanec (only private rooms). More in Banská Štiavnica and Levice.

title: Pukanec


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Pula

Pula (Italian: Pola, Slovene: Pulj) is a nice town at the tip of the Istrian peninsula in northwestern Croatia.

Understand
Its history started about 3000 years ago when it was built by Illyrians. Romans occupied Istria in 177 BC. After the destruction of the Western Roman Empire, the Istrian peninsula was devastated by Ostrogoths. Slavs came in Istria during migration period in 7th century but mostly lived on countryside. At that time Pula was still inhabited mostly by Italians. Landlords in Pula changed quite frequently in the Middle Ages from the Republic of Venice to Genoa to Illyrian Provinces and Austria–Hungary. After the Second World War, it became part of Croatia. At that time, many Italians fled to Italy and Pula was settled by Croats. Although most of the population is Croatian, there are several large minority groups in Pula such as Serbs, Italians, Bosniaks and Slovenes.

Most tourists visit in the summer months, with most attractions and restaurants closing between October and May.

Climate
The climate of Pula is warm to hot during the summer months, and cool to cold during winter. Average temperatures during July, the hottest month range from 18° to 29°, while in January, the coldest month, temperatures range from an average low of 1° to 10° Spring and autumn are generally mild in comparison

By plane

There is a scheduled bus service from the bus station in town to the airport. Buses are operated by Brioni and connect to most major flights. The cost of a one-way ticket is. A taxi from the bus station to the city should be around in the low season and much higher in the summer.

It is possible to also consider Rijeka Airport on the island of Krk and Trieste Airport in nearby Italy to access Pula as they are close by and offer flights to different destinations.

Shuttle buses from the Pula bus station to Pula airport leave at 5-10 times a day. The cost is.

By land
The large and modern bus station is on the edge of the 'old town' district and is the hub of local, domestic and international bus routes. There are direct buses from Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Trieste, Ljubljana, Belgrade and Venice. Online timetables are listed at Brioni and Pula Info.

There is also a train station near the waterfront with services serving Istria and into Slovenia due to historical circumstance rather than back towards the rest of Croatia (though a connecting coach service operates for services to Rijeka and Zagreb). Ticket prices, timetables and other information are on the Croatian Railways website.

Hitchhiking from Zagreb works very well. In Zagreb start from the petrol station after the "Billa" supermarket on the southside of the Sava river. In Rijeka ask people to drop you off at the little SOS stop after a pretty sharp right bend of the motor way around Rijeka.

By sea
Hydrofoil services operate from the wharf both around the Croatian coastline, and across to Venice. These are pricey, though provide a quick journey and provide some great views.

Venezia Lines ferry connects Pula with Venice. It runs five times a week, travel time is around 3 hr.

Get around
For local transport you can use the taxi service. There's a company offering taxi services now for /5 km. Search for Taxi Cammeo on every phonebook, or hail one of their vehicles down. Local, owner-operated taxis are more expensive.

Buses are expensive ( per card, per person, per ride), however, if you plan on using the Pulapromet only, you should make yourself a BusCard. The BusCard is an electromagnetic ticket that you can fill with money and then use cheaper bus rides. The price of a buscard is but they usually sell them for  which includes  credit you can use on the bus. The BusCard reduces drastically the price of the ride making it a per hour on the city lines (lines 1 to 9). Also, up to 5 people can use the same BusCard at the same moment, for the same bus. Also, the money on the BusCard is forever, meaning you can save it for the next time you come to Pula without fearing money loss.

If you want to take a small backpack with you on an Autotrans bus, first ask the driver if this is OK before buying the ticket. Otherwise you might be refused entry on the bus and your ticket will not be refunded, even if you have bought it from the driver just 2 minutes earlier (the Brioni company seems OK -onboard small backpacks are allowed, but you have to insist.)

All buses have a luggage area. The service is charged separately from the ticket and it usually costs. Every ticket can be refunded at the ticket office (a fee will be charged). There should be no problem taking a small backpack or a small suitcase on the bus as long as you can fit it in the overhead compartment (which is rather small) or under your seat/legs.

If you have a car, be aware that parking in the city center can be hard to come by and is rather expensive at /hr. Parking tickets generally cost and the attendants make the rounds frequently.

See

 * Zlatna vrata (Triumphal arch, 1st century BC), Dvojna vrata (Twin gate, 2-3rd century), Herkulova vrata (Hercules gate, 1st century BC).
 * St. Francis church and monastery, 14th century
 * Orthodox church, 6th century
 * Kaštel, a castle from the 17th century features Istrian history museum
 * Malo rimsko kazalište, little Roman theatre behind the Archaeology museum
 * Mornaričko groblje, Sailors' cemetery (1866), about 150,000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there, and Mornarička crkva, Sailors' Church
 * Kaštel, a castle from the 17th century features Istrian history museum
 * Malo rimsko kazalište, little Roman theatre behind the Archaeology museum
 * Mornaričko groblje, Sailors' cemetery (1866), about 150,000 soldiers of Austro-Hungarian nations were buried there, and Mornarička crkva, Sailors' Church

Do

 * Football: NK Istra play soccer in HNL, the top tier. Their Stadion Aldo Drosina (capacity 8900) is 1 km southeast of old town centre.
 * Visit Brijuni. Group of islands famous for their scenic beauty. They are a holiday resort and a Croatian National Park. They were also settled in Roman times and were part of Republic of Venice. There is also the famous residence of Josip Broz Tito (leader of former Yugoslavia). Boats go from small town near Pula named Fažana.
 * Go on Fish picnic. You can take a walk through local marina and check out timetables and prices. Prices are usually around per person.
 * Walk down the Sergijevaca street where are many small shops, souvenir shops, bars and even sweet shops.
 * Spend a whole day on beaches of Kamenjak, near Premantura (8 km from Pula). This peninsula is southernmost point of Istria, and features stunning landscapes and protected nature.
 * Discover abandoned Austro-Hungarian fortresses, constructed just before World War I, when Pula was most fortified city in Europe. Some of those fortresses are hidden in the forests, and some are now occupied by Pula residents for different purposes, including Punta Christo, which operates as a summer club and music festival venue.
 * Pula Film Festival takes place yearly in the Arena in the second half of July.

Buy

 * Truffles — Istria is famous for its truffles and various truffle products.
 * Malvazija and Teran — Istrian wine varieties.
 * Medica — a honey rakija.
 * Biska — a rakija with mistletoe.

Mid-range

 * Restaurant Farabuto. Excellent light and delicious slow food. (updated May 2022)
 * Restaurant Galeb, Osječka 37, Monterizzi, Stoja. You won't find this one in any tourist guide, but everyone in the city knows the place: they serve best "chevapchichi" (minced meat, 5 cm x 1½ cm) in the city. (updated May 2022)
 * Restaurant Gina . Temporarily closed as of May 2022. Excellent food in a unique setting that combines elegance with history.
 * Pizzeria Jupiter. Near Arena, the Roman amphitheatre - very good pizza. (updated May 2022)
 * Restaurant El Pulari. A Mexican restaurant. (updated May 2022)

Drink
Drinking is a pleasurable pastime in Croatia. Since Pula is a very popular place for tourists bars are easy to find.

Sleep
Tourist information can provide you with a list of accommodation in Pula, although they will not make reservations for you.

Unclassified

 * Hotel Riviera (1-star). Fabulous looking hotel built in 1907 for the high-ranking officers in the Austro-Hungarian army. Never properly refurbished since then it is now showing its age, but structurally it is impressive and looks oh-so-grand from the outside. The rooms are decked out with 1960s/70s fittings (orange bed covers, brown wooden panelling, lime green phone), with the sparseness showing the lack of funds for upkeep. Having said all that, it's clean, tidy, and comfortable. No doubt within a few years someone will make the investment to bring it back to its former glory. Quite expensive for its facilities.

Connect
As of Sept 2021, Pula and the coastal highway have 4G from A1 and Tele2, and 5G from T-Mobile. Wifi is widely available in public places.

Go next

 * National Park Brijuni - The beautiful Brijuni islands (also referred to as Brioni) stretch alongside the south-west coast of the Istrian peninsula. The national park offers too many attractions for all of them to be described here (dinosaur footprints, archaeological finds and sites, a little zoo, extremely rich flora and fauna, beautiful beaches, a former resort for European royals) so visit their website  for more information.
 * Rovinj, Rovigno
 * Poreč, Parenzo
 * Grožnjan, Grisignana
 * Motovun, Montona

title: Pula


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Pulaski

Pulaski is a village in Central New York.

By car
Pulaski is Exit 37 on I-81. Around half an hour north of Syracuse and half an hour south of Watertown.

By bus
The town is accessible as a stop by Greyhound Bus Lines.

Get around
Although there is no transit system in Pulaski (none required, really), it is a very walkable town in its centers.

title: Pulaski


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Pulau Ketam

Pulau Ketam, meaning "Crab Island" in Malay, is an island at the mouth of the Klang River, near Port Klang, downstream from Kuala Lumpur. It host Chinese fishing villages comprising houses on stilts.

Understand
The settlement was established in circa 1880 by mainly Teochew and Hoklo (Hokkien) Chinese fishermen. The buildings in the floating village are all propped up on stilts which extend up to 10 m below the water's surface. The streets, while appearing like normal paved roads, are similarly supported. Outside the main town, more precarious looking wooden bridges can be found. There are no cars on the island and getting around by bike is the norm, though there are a few motorbikes.

Teochew, Hokkien and Mandarin Chinese are the main dialects spoken, though English is commonly understood.

By ferry
The only way in is by boat from Port Klang.From Port Klang railway station, head across the tracks towards the water and look for the small ferry terminal to the left. Alibaba Pulau Ketam Cruises started operation since Oct 2016. Using high speed sight-seeing passenger boat which can accommodate more than 100 pax per trip, equipped with indoor air-cond cabin and open air sight-seeing upper deck. RM18 for return trip, RM10 for single trip. Standard Travel time 35 min, it may take longer during low tide. Services starts from 7:30am - 7:30pm during weekend and 7:30am - 6:30pm during weekday. Air Cond Services Services have about 15 ferries per day. The last boat from the island leaves at 5:30PM on weekdays and at 6PM on weekends. There are always speedboats on call that can be chartered at any time of the day or night. 40 min travel time, RM8 per trip. There's also the Speed Boat; RM10 per pax, 20 min travel time.

Get around
Rent bikes for RM5 per day or take a boat trip.

See
Mangrove, water, houses on stilts, fish markets.

Do
Wonder how a Chinese fishing village ended up in Malaysia.

Buy
Despite only being accessible by boat the shops are reasonably priced and fairly well stocked, so don't worry about having to buy everything in KL beforehand.

Eat
Seafood restaurants abound and a variety of other foods are available.

Drink
Beer - the settlement is Chinese-dominated, so drinking won't bring stares from conservative Muslims.

Sleep
There's at least two hotels both offer bicycles to rent. Prices are a lot cheaper than in KL.

Connect
The hotels have WiFi.

Go next
Take boat trips around the islands, though boat back to Port Klang is the only way to leave.

title: Pulau Ketam


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Nias

Nias (or Pulau Nias, Nias Island) is an island the Indian Ocean off North Sumatra. Isolated yet worldly, the Nias Island chain has been trading since prehistory with other cultures, other islands, and even mainland Asia.

Understand
Some historians and archaeologists have cited the local culture as one of the few remaining Megalithic cultures in existence today. While this point of view is hotly debated, there is no doubt that Nias' relative geographic isolation has created a unique culture. As a culture of traders, the people of Nias find tourists to be a welcome – and historically familiar – phenomenon.

By boat
There are two ferry terminals (Gunungsitoli and Teluk Dalam) on the island, serviced mainly from Sibolga and Medan respectively. However, local ferry companies regularly go out of business (or their boats sink), so only one terminal may be active at any given time.

See
Nias is best-known for its diversity of festivals and celebration. The most well-known events are War Dances, performed regularly for tourists, and Stone Jumping, a manhood ritual that sees young men leaping over two-meter stone towers to their fate. In the past, the top of the stone board was covered with spikes and sharp pointed bamboo. The music of Nias, performed mostly by women, is noted worldwide for its haunting beauty.

Gunungsitoli is home to Nias's only museum, the Museum Pusaka Nias (Nias Heritage Museum), which houses over 6,000 objects related to Nias's cultural heritage. The museum had built a new building and had improved their storage and exhibitions when the 2004 earthquake and tsunami occurred. The museum suffered some damage to the grounds and collections during the tsunami, but it appears to be going strong today.

Surfing
Nias is an internationally famous surfing destination. The best known surfing area is Sorake Bay, close to the town of Teluk Dalam, on the southern tip. Enclosed by the beaches of Lagundri and Sorake, the bay has both left and right-hand breaks. As they wait for waves, surfers can often see sea turtles swimming below. There are also two consistent, world-class waves in the nearby Hinako Islands, Asu and Bawa. Many lesser-known, high-quality surf spots with low crowds await adventurous travelers.

Nias was part of the famous Hippie trail of the 1960s, particularly traveled by surfers, which led to Bali. Some claim that the waves at the southern beach of Sorake are better than the ones in Maui. It has been the site of several international surfing competitions in the past, particularly before the 1998 Indonesian Reformation Movement.

Harinake
Harinake is Nias’s traditional food made out of diced pork with a taste of local spices. Often served with rice cake, Harinake is a symbol of honouring the guests at the wedding party. The juicy meat is hard to resist.

Hambae Nititi & Bato hambae
Hambae Nititi is crab meat cooked with coconut milk. The mixture creates unique savory taste and rich flavour.

Bato Hambae is another delicious smoked crab meat which has been shaped into rounds. It is used as a side dish that the locals would eat with rice.

Gowi Nihandro
The snack is made from boiled cassava smoothly mashed and topped with dried grated coconut.

Loma
A delicious snack made from glutinous rice cooked in a bamboo. Loma has that sticky texture with cylindrical shape.

Silio Guro
Minced shrimp mixed with grated coconut and wrapped with banana leaf. Silio Guro is cooked using traditional meat-smoking method with high heat.

Babae
Sautéed minced pork mixed with mung bean, grated coconut and clover.

Saku nisolo
Saku Nisolo often substitutes rice as the main dish. Made from sago starch, Saku Nisolo has that savory taste resulted from thick coconut milk as the mixture.

Dodol durian
During Durian season, you will find this seasonal fruit easily around the island. Dodol Durian is a traditional toffee treat made from Durian. It has sticky texture with inevitably unique durian-sweetness taste.

Drink
Tuo Nifaro or Tuak Nias is the traditionally made alcohol beverage.

The word ‘Tuak’ means palm liquor. Although Tuo Nifaro is not commercially manufactured in Nias, many visitors have been seeking this authentic alcoholic beverage. For the Nias community, the liquor is not just a drink, rather, a ‘mandatory’ for any celebrations. It is part of their tradition to drink Tuak at tuak foodstalls that usually open at midnight. Streetside foodstalls serve this alcoholic beverage and people sit at a bamboo table gathering with the other drinkers to play cards or simply discuss daily life.

Each Tuo Nifaro bottle/batch has a different alcohol percentage because there is no precise standard for production. Medium scale stalls often produce their own Tuak with larger quantity to meet the demand. So whether or not you will get drunk really depends on the batch that you are drinking and your own health condition.

title: Nias


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Pulau Run

Pulau Run is in the Banda Islands in Indonesia.

Understand
Run is a small island ('pulau' being Indonesian for 'island') with an outsized historical importance. It was a centre of the nutmeg and mace trade, as one of the 'Spice Islands', coveted by European traders and rulers. The British were the first Europeans to occupy the island, in the 17th century, but they were soon expelled by the Dutch, and gave up all claims to the island in exchange for Dutch recognition of British rule over the former New Netherlands (which now comprises much of the U.S. state of New York). The British eventually were able to transplant nutmeg trees in other colonies they controlled in the early 19th century, finally breaking the longtime Dutch monopoly on the nutmeg trade. Pulau Run is quiet now, but the people there continue to grow nutmeg trees as their forefathers did.

Get in
Take a public boat or charter boat from Banda Neira.

Get around
On foot or you may ask the locals to ride you by motorbike or rent their motorbike to get around the island. If you want to go to Nailaka Island, you may rent a boat for Rp100,000.

See
Beaches and plantations.

Do
The best snorkeling spot is at, at the northeastern side of Run Island.

Eat
You may order the food in the hostelry.

Drink
No alcohol, you may drink mineral water or fresh coconut water.

Go next

 * Pulau Ai

title: Pulau Run


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Puli

Puli (埔里; Pùlǐ) is a town in Nantou County at the geographic centre of Taiwan.

Understand
Puli was severely damaged in the 1999 earthquake, and although the town has since been rebuilt, there is little in the way of actual tourist attractions. However, the town is located in a very lush and beautiful valley with many hiking trails, and its central position makes it a logical base for visiting the mountains and lakes in the area.

Puli is famous for its four 'W's - water, wine, women and weather. Being located in a pristine mountain area, the local spring water is pure and sweet and sold in bottles at supermarkets around the island. The abundance of fresh, clean water lent itself to the production of wine - the second 'W' - while the exceptionally fine complexions of the town's women folk, which some theorize is the result of the local water, constitutes the third 'W'. Finally, the fourth 'W' refers to Puli's ideal climate, which is characterized by short and relatively dry winters and cool summers.

Possibly as a result of the mild climate, the town has developed into a center for Buddhism. There are large monasteries scattered throughout the valley, while the mountain-sides provide havens for retreat centers and hermitages.

Puli's prosperity is closely related to the nearby famous lake, which you will notice from the modern buildings and cars here.

By bus
Kuo-Kuang Bus Company (國光客運) operates a route between Taipei and Puli (around 3½ hours; every hour, around NT$300). It goes by south of Feng Jia (Xitun District) in Taichung (NT$125 as of Nov 2017).

Also, from Taichung main railway station you can take Nantou Bus (南投客運) or Chuan Hang bus (around one hour, every 15-20 minutes, NT$125). Nantou Bus also departs from Kan-Cheng Station at Shuang-Shih Road (干城站, 雙十路), and goes to Sun Moon Lake and the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village resort near Puli.

Buses from Sun Moon Lake depart at least hourly during the day and take half an hour for NT$50.

By scooter
Around the southeastern bus station, there are many rental shops. However, renting a scooter in Puli seems only possible with an international driving licence.

By bus
The town is not big enough for a bus service, though buses that connect with local towns do make stops in the suburbs.

By taxi
Taxis are probably the most convenient way to reach your destination, but as few use meters, check the cost to your destination before setting out and negotiate the best deal.

See

Paper Dome
Paper Dome is a temporary church building constructed using paper tubes as structural elements. It was designed on a pro-bono basis by Shigeru Ban, internationally known Japanese architect who is renowned for his paper tube structures and buildings. It was built on September 17, 1995 to serve as a temporary church for Takatori Catholic Church after the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Nonetheless, the venue was also used as a place for communal gatherings. However, when the church community planned to build a permanent building, the structure was donated to Taomi Village in Puli Township, Nantou County, Taiwan which had suffered the 921 Earthquake in 1999. The deconstructed structure was shipped in 2006 to Taiwan, reconstructed there and is now one of the top tourist attractions in that area.

History
In January 1995 Japan suffered the Great Hanshin earthquake. 60% of all buildings were destroyed in Kobe, the epicentre of the disaster, including the Takatori Catholic church. However, strangely a statue of Jesus remained unharmed. People understood this fact as a miracle and they decided to rebuild the church as soon as possible. An internationally known Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was invited to build a temporary church for survivors.

Shigeru Ban is famous for his passion for using paper material in his projects. Indeed paper although seemingly soft and non-effective for building, can actually be strong if used in the right way. Moreover it is cheap, light and recyclable. Shegeru Ban is also known for his humanistic beliefs and social orientation. He built shelters for refuges in Africa and South America. There he noticed that cheap plastic shelters were too cold for people and it was more appropriate to use paper shelters.

Shigeru Ban created an ellipse-shape construction built from 58 cardboard tubes. 160 volunteers helped to build it and it took only five weeks to finish the project. The temporary church was nicknamed “Paper Dome”. Paper Dome became the new religious centre and a place of mutual help and support as a community meeting place connecting Kobe residents.

But after 10 years it became apparent that the building was too small and that it had to be replaced by a new permanent church. Paper Dome was supposed to be destroyed. However the president of New Homeland Foundation visited Kobe. He suggested donating the Paper Dome to the Taomi community as a symbol of friendship between Japan and Taiwan. Japan and Taiwan, two countries that suffer from earthquakes a lot, used to help each other and send their volunteers whenever a disaster happened. The Paper Dome that was built after Great Hanshin earthquake had to continue its mission in Taomi, the place that was heavily damaged by the 921 earthquake in Taiwan.

On 29 May 2005 the last service was held in the Paper Dome in Kobe and then the building was sent to Taiwan. After three years of formalities Taomi became the new home for Paper Dome. On 25 May 2008 over 1000 people participated in lifting cardboard tubes and witnessed the rebirth of the Dome.

Eventually the Paper Dome was opened for visitors on the next day after nine years 921 earthquake anniversary. On 21 September 2008 the delegates of two religious communities, Christianity and Daoism, got together to bless the land. Since this day the Paper Dome in Taomi is not only a tourist attraction but also a platform to exchange earthquake reconstruction experience and to educate people. Music performances, art exhibitions of local artists, weekend bazaars and other activities are held here.

Structure
From the cylindrical columns to the internal benches, Paper Dome is a giant hollow paper tube structure supported by a total of 58 tubes, 5 m in height. The diameter of tube is about 33 cm and the thickness of paper is about 1.5 cm. It is built in a nomadic style which facilitated its dismantlement before its shift from Japan to Taiwan. The 58 tubes, together with the internal benches, are coated with an external water-resistant paper protective covering made in Puli Township, which is famous for its paper factories. Although each paper tube bench weighs no more than 60 kg, they are able to support weight up to 1500 kg each, equivalent to the weight of 20 people. As for the tall paper pillars, they are able to support pressure up to 6900 kg.

Learn

 * Buddhism - many of the monasteries in the area are happy to offer meditation instruction and give teachings on the Dharma.
 * National Chi Nan University has a large campus in Puli.

Dishes

 * As a center of Buddhism, Puli has an abundance of great vegetarian restaurants (see listing for Taiwan for information on the various kinds of vegetarian restaurants available).
 * Sugar cane is a local speciality and sold at road side stalls.

Connect

 * The dialling code for Puli is 049. From overseas, dial +886 49 XXXXXX
 * The free Wifi .1.Free Wi-Fi can be found in many places around town.

Go next

 * Sun Moon Lake – The main reason why many people come to Puli, a beautiful lake nestled among tall mountains, just a few kilometres south of Puli. It is one of Taiwan's most popular resorts.
 * Hehuan Mountain – A beautiful mountain range and decent hiking spot half way towards Taroko Gorge.
 * Taroko Gorge – An impressive 19-km-long canyon, and the name, Taroko, means the "magnificent and splendid" in the language of Truku, the aboriginal tribe residing in the area.
 * Yushan – The highest mountain of Taiwan, located in Nantou County, but also the name of the related National Park that lies in several other counties.

title: Puli


text:
Puliangudi

Puliangudi is a city in Tirunelveli District on the NH 208 highway connecting Thirumangalam (near Madurai) with Kollam in Kerala.

Located on the foothills of the Western ghats, is one of the fast emerging options as a base for the Sankaran Kovil-Courtallam tourist circuit midway between the two. It is also known for lemon cultivation.

Air
Nearest airports are at Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram.

Train
Nearest Railway station on the Chennai Egmore –Sengottai line is at Pambu Kovil Shandy (PBKS) around 4 km from Puliangudi. A more popular station nearby is the temple town of Sankaran Kovil, about 15 Km away. Pothigai Express is the daily service that connects Chennai with Puliangudi. The train starts in Chennai at 8:50PM hours passing through Tiruchirapalli (2:35AM), Madurai (5:25AM)  and reaching Sankaran Kovil at 7:40AM.

Nearest Junction is at Kovilpatti on the Chennai Central – Trivandrum line offering connectivity to rest of India through express trains through out the day.

Bus
Puliangudi is on NH 208 and is well connected by bus with all the towns. Popular starting points to reach Puliangudi and distance by road:

 * Madurai - 125 km
 * Kovilpatti - 60 km
 * Tenkasi – 30 km
 * Tirunelveli -

Car
You will find heavy traffic on the Madurai to Tirumangalam stretch. But it is smooth driving once you hit NH 208.The highway cuts through villages and is lined with trees on either side.

Because of ring-roads, bye-passes and 4-laning, driving to nearby cities like Tirunelveli and Nagercoil is safer and more comfortable.

Cab from Sankaran Kovil station on  the Chennai Egmore –Sengottai line would cost around ₹150 to ₹200, and cab  from Kovilpatti Junction on the Chennai Central – Trivandrum line would cost around ₹500.

Get around
Puliangudi is well connected with all towns around through the State Government run buses. Cabs and vans are also available for hire, with the drivers doubling up as your guides.

Sankaran Kovil
Sankaran Kovil is a unique temple dedicated to Sankaranarayana who is the combined manifestation of Siva and Vishnu. Thus it is held sacred by both Saivites and Vaishnavites. It is very famous for "Adi Thabasu" festival. In older times, the city was called as Sankaranayinar kovil. There are two other shrines dedicated to Siva and Parvathi. Twice a year, the sun's rays fall on the pedestal.

It is located about 14 km from Puliangudi and is accessible by government buses. Tourist cars and vans can also be arranged from Puliangudi.

 * Main Deity : Sankaralingeswarar, Sankara Narayanar
 * Goddesses : Gomathi Amman
 * Theertham : Nagasnai
 * Holy tree : Punnai

This temple also called as Avudaiamman Kovil or Davasu kovil or SankaraNayinar Kovil depicts a good example for Siva and Vishnu being One and the same. Here the main deity Sankara Narayanar poses himself with half Shiva (on the left side) and half Vishnu (on the right).

Goddess Gomathi Amman is said to have worshipped the Lord at this place. This temple is also considered to be representing one of the five elements (Nilam/Land/Prthivi) in this area, the other being Nallur (Agni), Tharukapuram (Neer/Water/Jal), Thenmalai (Vayu)  and Devathaanam (Agayam/Sky/Akash) .It was built by Ukira Pandiyan BC 900.

The general belief is that the Holy Sand "Puttrumann" that you get from this temple is capable of curing all the diseases. Devotees believe that Sankarankoil's Nagasunai (sacred tank) have been dug by serpent kings named Paduman and Sangam which has a miraculous power to heal those who bathe there. The Annadhanam scheme is being conducted in the temple when daily noon meals are being provided for around 100 devotees. It is believed that all devotees who pray to the goddess Gomathi amman have always found solace.

Key festivals
 * Chithhirai Bramotsava (10 days) Every April
 * Adi thapasu festival (12 days) August
 * Iyppasi Thirukkalyanam festival (10 days) October
 * Theppam floating festival - Thai last Friday (Every February)

Ph: 04636 222265.

Dharugapuram
It is located near Vasudevanallur. One has to take right before Vasudevanallur while on the NH 208 towards North/Tirumangalam. Lord Shiva is called as "Mathiastha Naathar". His consort is Goddess Akilandeshwari.Legend is that Lord Shiva Himself did "Mathiastham", meaning moderator, for Chera and Pandia kings when there was a dispute between them, over dividing land territory. It is believed that this sthalam is a Neer (water - among the Panjaboothams) Sthalam. One who visits this temple is relieved from all diseases (internal and external) pertaining to Water. The Lingam covered with the Golden Nagabaranam. The temple also consists of a Grand Natarajar Sannadhi, a Siddhar's Samadhi. One special thing to mention is the Dhakshnamoorthy here.Dhakshnamoorthy is sitting above all Navagrahas, in a peetam.

Karivalamvanthanallur/Nallur/Karivalam
Located 8 km from Sankarankovil, Palvannanathar temple here is believed to be the agni stalam. It has the primary feature of moorthy. It has sukkira theertham, agni theertham, Devi theertham

Courtallam/Kuttrallam
Located 37 km from Puliangudi, is famous for its numerous waterfalls. You can literally find people running around and taking bath in waterfalls with towels on their shoulders. The waterfalls are fed by the monsoon, colloquially referred to as "Kuttralam Season". Due to its location and relative cheap expenses, it is often referred to as "Poor man's paradise".The best time to visit is mid-June to September and October-January.

Courtallam is dedicated to Lord Thirukutralanathar (Siva). It is said that Lord Siva sent Saint Agastheyar to the south to avoid imbalance due to overcrowding in the mount Kailas on his celestial wedding. Another notable feature of Courttalam is Chithra Sabha. This sabha is one of the five Sabas where Lord Nataraja performed the Cosmic-dance. Moreover, this temple contains many inscriptions about Chola and Pandya Kings. Chitra Sabha is made out of medicinal herbs. The wooden carved planks serve as doors.

Numerous rivers such as the Chittar River, the Manimuthar River, the Pachaiyar River and the Tambaraparani River originate here.

Round trips by cab can be arranged from Puliangudi for ₹1000. Modern lodging facilities are now available here at much reasonable costs. Remember during peak season Coutrallam can get very crowded!

Tenkasi
Tenkasi (South Kasi) is famous for its Ulagamman Temple and its Shiva Temple. The Ulagamman temple was built by Parakrama Pandian, but was shattered by lightning. In the 1990s, the temple was restored with much financial assistance of Sivanthi Adithan and others, and it was given a fresh coat of paint again in 2006 by the same philanthropists. However, the first few feet from the ground has not been painted as that part appears to have survived the lightning. The gopuram or the entry gateway remains among the highest in southern Tamil Nadu. The main deity here is Kasi Viswanathar (Shiva). This temple has three Sannidhis [a unique aspect] - Sivan, Amman and Murugan Sannidhis. This temple has beautiful sculptures and also has musical stone pillars, that emit notes of different pitch when tapped with fingers. The entrance is really grand, with heavy steps. One could view the majestic Temple Gopuram even while entering the town. The Gopuram of the temple welcomes pilgrims with a pleasant cool breeze straight from the nearby Thirikooda Malai.

Kalugumalai
Kalugumalai locates in between Kovilpatti and Sankarankoil - around 35 km from Puliangudi. An ancient Jain site in Tamil Nadu, which probably holds, many untold stories about the growth of Tamil civilization. One can see fine examples of Jain architecture and cave sculpting. We can find the rock cut images of Bhagawan Parshwanatha flanked by Daranendra Yaksha and Padmavathi Yakshi, umbrella and Chauri Bearers dating back to 8th and 9th century AD. There are many rock reliefs of Jain tirthankaras Vattuvan Koil (meaning a sculptor's paradise) is a Hindu temple built between the 8th and 9th century. The carvings reflect the southern temple style of the Pandya era.

Kalugumalai contains a priceless unfinished Pandyan monolith cave temple, part of the iconographic richness that helped chronicle the burgeoning richness of the Tamil culture, traditions, and sacred centres containing religious art. The name of the town takes after the temple for Lord Muruga Kalugasalamoorthy Kovil built sometime in the 18th century.

Eco-development and model farm project Ullar
Around 36 km from Puliangudi A model farm, established by volunteers from through out the world, brought together by Projects-abroad. The farm features an area for preparing organic fertilizer, a nursery for medicinal plants and community work area. Main activities revolve around development and demonstration of organic and sustainable farming.

Buy
Puliangudi is known for its powerloom products, kadalamittai and halwa.

Drink
There are numerous tea-shops for a hot sip of tea or coffee.

No fancy bar & restaurants over here! Liquor is sold through Government run agencies and it is advised that travellers desist from venturing out to purchase directly. If temptation persists, the service boys in the lodge can get it for you! Please be aware that public consumption is prohibited, and you could get into trouble.

Sleep
Janatha Hotels, started in Feb 2009, offers modern air-conditioned lodging with 24 hour hot water and room service. Phone - 91-4636-233850 Janatha Restaurant Phone - 91-4636-326162 http://janathahotels.blogspot.com

There are other small lodges available near the bus terminus

TTDC approved bed and breakfast - Smt. A. Padma, W/o - S. Arumugam,	Uttchimahali amman, Koil Street, T.N. Puthukudi - Puliyankudi, Contact no. 91-9443323539

Health care

 * Raja Clinic-04636 233786
 * Janatha Hospital 04636 233078
 * Sri Kanna Hospital 04636 233052
 * Mahalakshmi Hospital 04636 233277
 * Thangavinayagam Hospital 04636 233334

Go next
Apart from buses, the Pothigai Express departing from Sankaran Kovil station every day at 7:51PM in the evening is most popular option to head back in case your next destination is on the Madurai - Tiruchirapalli - Chennai line.

Incase, you have some more time, you can continue on the temple circuit - Tamil Nadu is land of temples.You can go further south and set base at Tirunelveli.

Or you can cross over to Kerala through the Thenmala eco-tourism area and enter Kollam.

title: Puliangudi


text:
Pullman

Pullman is a city in the Palouse region of eastern Washington. It is home to Washington State University and the National Lentil Festival.

By car
& Pullman accessed by US 195, and SR 270 (E Main St/NW Davis Way). It is west of Moscow, ID,  south of Spokane, and  from Seattle. US 195 does not go into town but rather passes by, west of town.
 * ID-8.svg to WA-270.svg E Main St & NW Davis Way From Moscow Hwy 8 goes across the west side of town and becomes WA-Hwy 270 over the state line. It comes into town as E Main St and ends at its intersection with WA-27 (Grand Ave). WA-270 continues west towards US Hwy 195 (west of town) on NW Davis Way which is one block north of Main along Grand Ave.
 * WA-27.svg Grand Ave goes north-south through town from Spokane Valley (suburb east of Spokane) via Oaksdale, Palouse and Colfax.

By plane

The next nearest major airport for regularly scheduled commercial flights with more airlines is the Spokane International Airport/Geiger Field located  north. Northwestern Trailways regular shuttle services twice a day between Spokane International Airport, Pullman and Moscow.

By bike
A bike path exists to Moscow, seven miles away.

Get around
Since there is not much to the downtown area, transportation is a must. Public transportation is available from Pullman Transit, though it is often geared towards the university. Pullman has multiple bike trails for summer travel around the town. There is bike share, and Zipcar available on the WSU campus. College Cabs serves the town. The town is very hilly, so walking is great exercise.

See
Being the home of a major state university, there are many WSU centric activities available

Washington State University
Founded in 1890, WSU is one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West with programs in a broad range of academic disciplines. With an undergraduate enrollment of 24,470 and a total enrollment of 29,686, it is the second largest institution of higher education in the state behind the University of Washington. The WSU Pullman campus is perched upon a hill, characterized by open spaces, views, deep green conifers, and a restrained red brick and basalt material palette--materials originally found on site.

There are many events and places to see and do on campus and in the community off campus for visitors. The below are some of the places of interest on campus for visitors:

By mail

Go next
Pullman is 8 miles away from Moscow, Idaho, which has many attractions worth checking out.

title: Pullman


text:
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve is 17 km north of Quito in the province of Pichincha of Ecuador.

Understand
Pululahua is a Quichua word that means “cloud of water” or fog. It is a collapsed volcano with great biodiversity and unique geological formations. It is due to this uniqueness that it was declared a geobotanical reserve.

History
The Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve was created as a national park on 28 January 1966. It was the first national park created in Ecuador and in South America to protect this unique place.

On 17 February 1978, this national park was declared a geobotanical reserve. This declaration was due to its geological uniqueness, and great diversity with more than 2000 species of flora, great diversity of birds, mammals, and insects of exotic appearance.

Landscape
It is a caldera formed from the collapsed volcano after it emptied its magma chamber during the eruptions dating back to 500 BC. This type of formation is typical of very strong eruptions that weaken the internal structure of a volcano. The caldera has three lava domes, Pondoña, El Chivo, and Pan de Azucar, which formed in the years following the eruption, and after the volcano collapsed. The highest elevation of this volcano is the Sincholagua hill on the north eastern side of the caldera at an elevation of 3356 m.

Flora and fauna
The Andes have more than 2900 endemic species; many of these are found in Pululahua and for this reason it is now a geobotanical reserve. The dense tree vegetation has a lot of mosses, ferns, lichens, bromeliads and orchids.

Climate
The temperature varies from to, and rainfall is in the range of.

Altitude
The range of altitude is to.

Get in
By car from Quito: Stay on the road past La Mitad del Mundo and continue towards Calacalí. After you crest the hill coming out of the Mitad del Mundo valley and pass the gas station about 500 m down the road you will find a dirt road to the right. This is the park entrance to the Geobotanical Reserve.

By bus from Quito: The Pululahua Crater is about 25 km north of Quito near “La Mitad del Mundo”. Take the bus Mitad del Mundo on Avenida America & 18 de Septiembre, near Universidad Central. You must get off on the exit road to the crater which is about 5 minutes beyond “La Mitad del Mundo”. From there you must walk about 15 minutes uphill to the edge of the crater, also called “El Mirador”, and then 25 minutes down a steep dirt road.

Fees and permits
Foreigners: $5

Get around
The roads inside the reserve are narrow and steep. Please drive slowly and carefully 20 km/h max speed.

See

 * The Pondoña Hill is the central lava dome formed in during a later eruption 500 years after the volcano collapsed. There is also a small crater in the top eastern (frontal) side of the dome.  This dome also has a trail that provides access to the area behind the hill. The views of the crater from the top of the trail are fabulous, and it is possible to see its own small crater.
 * The Chivo Rock is a smaller lava dome in the southern part of the crater which ends on a sharp point. There is a trail with access to the summit where there is space for two tents. The water trail starts at its base, where the water tanks for the community are installed, and continues southward to reach the watersheds.  Here you will find many water tanks used to trap the mountain water that condenses in the highland cloud forest.  Please do not foul the water, be careful not to cause any damage to this fragile ecosystem and water collection area.
 * El Mirador is an observation terrace at 2833 m near the south west side of the caldera with access via paved road.  It has a great view of the front side of the caldera from which you can observe the agricultural west side, El Pondoña hill, El Chivo Rock, and some of the caldera walls to the north.  You can also access the Reserve from El Mirador via 1.4-km foot trail that descends 300 m  to the bottom of the caldera.
 * Limestone Kilns: The extraction of calcium carbonate, as lime, was the main activity remembered by the oldest locals, and that many people came to work in the limestone kilns. It was similar to a gold rush. They say that hoards of mules use to carry the lime out of the crater. We have found twelve limestone kilns in the Pululahua area. These are tall rock structures 3 to 5 m tall and have an internal diameter of 1 to 1.4 m.  They look like a round chimney.  The limestone was removed from the walls and carried by mules to the kiln. The limestone was loaded in the kiln and mixed with wood, and coal in different proportions.  A fire was built underneath the kiln which started the burning process until all of the wood and coal is consumed. This process lasted two to three days; at the end, the purified lime fell to the bottom where it was bagged. The lime was used in the construction of colonial Quito when the Spanish arrived in the eighteen hundreds.  It is mixed with water and an adhesive to make a whitening paint used until today.  Almost all of colonial Quito´s white walls are painted with this material.  Lime is also mixed with sand, water, and clay to make a mortar like material used for joining rocks, therefore used for building rock walls.  The importance of these basic building materials, for a growing city like Quito, made the limestone very important and expensive. This is why the old folks in the area say that lime was as expensive as gold.

Do
Horseback riding, trekking, and mountain biking, are the most popular activities inside the volcano trails. This extinct volcano offers many trails that take you through different ecosystems from the panoramic, inter-Andean valley, to the rainy cloud forest. Most of these trails have been established by the people that habituated this 2500 -year-old crater. It is very likely that the Yumbos were the first to travel through this land about 1000 years ago as commercialist between the coast and the highlands. There is an important Yumbo site in Tulipe 29 km to the southwest of the Pululahua. It is connected to this crater through trails that cross the Santa Lucia Reserve and the Maquicupuna Reserve. The Caranquis were also near this crater at 15 km to the north east with a pyramid in Alance, this pyramid is also connected to this crater through very old trails that cross the Rio Guallabamba. The Incas also used these trails is their infiltration into the Yumbo and Caranqui civilizations. The Spanish used the same Yumbo trails in their multiple attempts to conquer the Yumbo country, and the province of Esmeraldas. Many of these trails are still used today but most of them have been destroyed by the construction of roads.

Buy
In the Mirador you can buy some crafts that are offered by local vendors. If you are interested in organic products, you can go down to the caldera and buy organic products such as coffee, corn, beans, guinea pigs, pork at the local Hostal.

Eat

 * In the Mirador you can eat typical products offered by local vendors.
 * The Crater Restaurant.
 * Pululahua Hostal with organic food inside the caldera.
 * Restaurant La Rinconada where have typical food.
 * Restaurant El Leñador where have typical food.

Sleep

 * The Pululahua Hostal
 * The Rinconada
 * El Leñador

Camping
The Ministry of Environment has two recreational areas, one is Moraspungo which is at the entrance to the reserve, and the other is in the caldera across from the Hacienda Pululahua.

Backcountry
The people living in the caldera, the only in the world with agricultural production, grow maize (Zea mays), bean (Phaseolus coccineus), bean (Vicia fava), potato (Solanum tuberosum), vegetables, tree tomato, alfalfa, among other.

Stay safe
The Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve is a safe place for tourists.

Go next

 * Quito
 * Ibarra

title: Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve


text:
Puna

There is more than one place called Puna:

India

 * Pune (Poona) — a city in Maharashtra

United States

 * Puna — a district in Hawaii

title: Puna


text:
Punakaiki

Punakaiki is on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island and has the Department of Conservation Centre for the surrounding Paparoa National Park.

It has great coastal scenery and is best known for the Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes.

By car
The long drive in (2-3 hr) from Nelson winds through the Buller Gorge before it nears Westport and is scenically interesting almost the whole way, but along narrow, winding, roads. The final 50 min drive south from Westport is along a truly stunning coast after you reach the sea.

From the south, you'll have to pass through Greymouth. Punakaiki is approximately 3.5 hr drive north of Fox Glacier.

By bus

 * Intercity Coaches operate coaches from Nelson to Greymouth, which stop in Punakaiki once per day in each direction. Coaches often stop for a refreshment stop here, which allows a quick 15 minutes or so looking at the Pancake Rocks.

 * East West Coaches run shuttle buses from Westport to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass and Greymouth which stop her once per day in each direction.

Do

 * Truman Track MRD 2022 03.jpg
 * Truman Track MRD 2022 03.jpg
 * Truman Track MRD 2022 03.jpg
 * Truman Track MRD 2022 03.jpg
 * Truman Track MRD 2022 03.jpg

Buy

 * Punakaiki Crafts, State Highway 6, +64 3 731-1813. Co-op owned and featuring changing displays of greenstone, wood, glass, and other materials.  Summer, 08:30-19:00; Winter, 09:00-17:00.

Sleep

 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.
 * Punakaiki Tavern Accommodation, State Highway 6 and Owen St, +64 3 731 1188. Nine ensuite studios.

Go next

 * Westport – to the north
 * Greymouth – to the south
 * Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier – tourist attractions further to the south

title: Punakaiki


text:
Punakha

Punakha, a former capital of Bhutan, is in the west of the country.

Understand
Punakha had been Bhutan's capital from the 17th century up to 1955, when it shifted to Thimphu. When you visit the town, you still feel a regal yet peaceful aura. The dzong and the remains of unifying ruler Ngawang Namgyal are the major attractions within Punakha, though there are other sites to see and things to do. Punakha is part of the triad of Bhutan's three most visited travel destinations, along with Jakar and Paro.

Get in
There is an option of taxis or buses from Thimphu, and the journey takes around one and a half to two hours. Shared taxis depart from Thimphu Bus Station and terminate at Khuruthang, which is around 5 km south of Punakha Dzong.

Get around
All attractions in the town (including the dzong) can be reached on foot. There is a taxi rank near the dzong, where taxis can be hired for visiting sites of interest outside the town, but within the valley.

See

 * Geon Tsephu (Guru Rinpoche Caves). A short drive up a rough road or two hour walk from the highway at Mitesgang, there is a small temple and sacred caves. It is said that Guru Rinpoche visited these caves after his retreat at Maratika in Nepal, and it was here that he was able to fully see the form of Amitayus, the Buddha of Long Life. As is common at many Bhutanese sacred sites, there are self risen characters in rock and places to scramble through while making dedications for the benefit of other beings and to remove one's own defilements. Pilgrims can lay their bedding at the temple or use the pasture just below for camping (though leeches are common in the summer). Mitesgang is around 12km down the valley Punakha Dzong.
 * Koma Tsachu (Hot springs) are near the small community of Mitesgang. There are three bathing pools covered by simple roofs, and a four-roomed building with solar lighting, where sleeping bags and mats can be laid (there is no charge for staying in the building). Outside, there is ample room to pitch tents and rock overhangs to camp under.
 * Punakha Dzong. Majestically standing on an island between the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, the city's dzong is one of the most photogenic of all Bhutan's ancient fortresses, and you will see pictures of it hanging in hotels and restaurants throughout the country. The dzong is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge, and contains many precious relics from the days when successive kings reigned the kingdom from this valley. The dzong serves as the winter home of the monastic body.
 * Punakha Dzong. Majestically standing on an island between the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, the city's dzong is one of the most photogenic of all Bhutan's ancient fortresses, and you will see pictures of it hanging in hotels and restaurants throughout the country. The dzong is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge, and contains many precious relics from the days when successive kings reigned the kingdom from this valley. The dzong serves as the winter home of the monastic body.
 * Punakha Dzong. Majestically standing on an island between the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, the city's dzong is one of the most photogenic of all Bhutan's ancient fortresses, and you will see pictures of it hanging in hotels and restaurants throughout the country. The dzong is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge, and contains many precious relics from the days when successive kings reigned the kingdom from this valley. The dzong serves as the winter home of the monastic body.

Trekking
There are many wonderful hikes in and around the Punakha Valley.

 * Hike an hour or so up to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Chorten high on the hill in the upper Punakha valley.
 * Visit Jana village. Start from the suspension bridge near Kichu Resort and cross the Dang Chhu river.  The route goes through a village and rice fields and the hike takes around 1.5 hours to reach Jana village. There and back will be around 3 to 3.5 hours, with plenty of time to explore Jana Village.
 * From Dochu La to Thinleygang – drive about 15 minutes from Dochu La pass (just below the tourist cafeteria) and make an excellent 5 hour hike downhill towards Thinleygang village through a forest of oak, maple, alder, hemlock and fir.  In spring you will be greeted by a wonderful array of blooming flowers – rhododendron, magnolia, primula and cotoneaster.  The people of Thinleygang village mainly used this trail in the old days to move their cattle up to the pass in summer and back to the village in winter.  If you are lucky you will see some beautiful birds.  Your car will be waiting for you at Thinleygang to take you to Punakha (or back to Thimphu).
 * From Lamperi to Lumbitsawa – the hike takes just over 4 hours to reach Lumbitsawa and the walk is all downhill through forest from Lamperi Park.  This hike is good to do in early Spring and Autumn, especially for birdwatchers.  It is not a good route for summer months as it can be muddy and there is the chance of meeting bears.
 * Take a three or four hour walk round trip from Dochu La to Lungchuzekha Gompa. From the 108 chortens the route gradually climbs into white, pink and red rhododendron forest for one and a half hours with some steep sections before branching left to Lungchuzekha and right to Tashigang.  The walk affords excellent views of the Himalayas and you can return by the same route. or you can descend by a different route to Tashigang Goempa where there is a good view of Hongtsho village.  Then descend to Hongtsho where the driver will meet you.

Go next

 * Phobjikha

title: Punakha