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Turpan

Turpan (Chinese: 吐魯番, Tǔlǔfān; Uyghur: تۇرپان, Turpan; Turkish: Turfan) is a city in Xinjiang, on the Silk Road.

Understand
The area around the city, the Turpan Depression, is the lowest point in China and second lowest on Earth (after the Dead Sea) at 154 meters below sea level. It is very dry and sometimes very hot, well into the forties Celsius. The local people have developed karez, an irrigation system composed of wells connected by underground channels, to counter the heat and drought of the place. No place in China is hotter than Flaming Mountain in Turpan, a mountain made famous by the classic Chinese mythological novel, Journey to the West.

Turpan is famous for their grapes, grown primarily for raisins but also wine. The majority of the city's population is ethnic Uyghur, with substantial Han and Hui minorities.

By train
Turpan train station - located in the town of Daheyan, 50 km NW of the town center
 * Kashgar - takes about 25 hours
 * Korla - takes about 8 hours
 * Lanzhou - takes about 25 hours
 * Liuyuan - takes about 8–9 hours
 * Xi'an - takes about 40–45 hours

By bus
Long Distance Bus Station is on Laocheng Road
 * Kumul - takes about 6–7 hours
 * Kashgar - takes about 32 hours
 * Korla - takes about 6–7 hours
 * Kucha - takes about 13–14 hours
 * Urumchi - takes about 2.5 hours

Get around
Public buses, Y1.
 * Bus 102 - going all along Laocheng lu (老城路), you can take it on crossing Laocheng Eastern street and Qingnian pedestrian street.
 * Direction to East - the last stop is Su Gong Ta (苏公塔) Sugong pagoda = Emin minaret (额敏塔).
 * to West - East mosque, North mosque and West mosque. Take off on the last stop and walk (hitchhike) next 5 km to Jiaohe Ancient City. Alternatively, from the last stop of the line 102, you can hire a vehicle for around ¥10 to take you the rest of the way to the site.

Taxi

Eat
Turpan is most famous for its raisins made from locally-grown grapes, so make sure you try some while you are here.

Plenty of delicious dishes can be found in the market, in front of the bus station, or in the pedestrian zone downtown. Cheap (but spicy) food is the norm, with plenty of meat options. Vegetarians better find a Chinese restaurant, many of which are north of the main square ("Grape Girls" square)

艾力热孜快餐店 (ai li re zi kuai can dian) on a parallel alley on the eastern side of the bazaar opposite the long-distance bus station serves excellent laghman (noodles), baked dumplings and barbecue skewers. Try the tandoori lamb or lamb dumplings in black-eyed pea soup for a different taste of Uighur food you won't find in other cities in Xinjiang.

Drink
Wusu beer - all around Xinjiang. Probably only 4% Chinese beer.

John's Information Cafe in the back of the Turpan Hotel sells wine, beer and imported spirits. Grab a bottle to enjoy under the grapes on their patio. (The white wine is maybe the best in China),

Stay safe
There are a lot of young locals who can speak some English and will ask to practise their skills with you before offering you "help" with getting around. This usually involves a lot of "friends" and "uncles" who can take you wherever you want to go, "all you need is money for gas." Of course, don't trust them!

title: Turpan


text:
Turtle Islands Park

The Turtle Islands National Park is made up of three islands in the Sulu Sea off the coast of Sabah's East Coast and near the maritime border with the Philippines. The three islands are

Understand
The islands making up the park are the breeding grounds for Hawksbill and Green Turtles. At night, female turtles come up onto the beach and lay their eggs in the sand. Park rangers check and tag the turtles before removing their eggs and placing them in a hatchery. Each night newly hatched babies are released into the sea.

Get in
Visits to Pulau Selingan are only available as part of an organised tour with an approved guide authorised by Sabah Tourism. Travel out to the island takes about an hour by boat from Sandakan jetty 1 km north of the main town, it is within walking distance from the centre of Sandakan. Just beyond the fish market as the road dips the jetty is on the right, easily seen as from 09:00 there are 6 tourist mini-vans in the small car park entrance. Arriving by car/mini van is a 2-km trip as the vehicles pass the jetty then travel further on to a turning point in the road and travel back to the jetty.

The boat leaves at 09:30 once all the guides have checked who is present and the park authorities have the information they need. There may be a delay if the weather is inclement.

Depending on the season the weather out on the sea beyond Sandakan can be very rough 2-3 metre waves, also it can be extremely smooth in the early morning.

The boat transfers have hard plastic moulded seating and impacting with waves can be painful. Rain storms blowing through are common so expect to get wet.

Fees
Video cameras and flash photography are banned, but this is not strictly enforced although prolonged bright light at night is. Photography while walking around the island is allowed as is underwater filming, there is not a camera fee, unlike some other parks in Sabah. All tourists are escorted to start with a Sabah Parks/Sabah Tourism approved guide.

There are no extra fees on Pulau Selengin. You have to book a visit overnight stay via a tour operator. They are online, and using other internet sites you can see costs and travel timings, etc. These are reasonably fixed, but prices vary, so best to check before buying your visit. The security situation (Jan 2018) may place some restrictions in the future, (there is a night time curfew for all boats), so this must be checked before booking.

See
Overnight visitors to Pulau Selingan are given the opportunity to view a mother turtle laying her eggs; see the rangers burying the eggs in the hatchery; hold a hatchling and witness the hatchlings being released into the sea. Visitors are not allowed to roam the island during the hours of darkness, so meet in the cafeteria or stay in your lodge room, to await being called by a ranger when a turtle has landed. It may be called Turtle Island but you may stay then see no turtles. There is only one beach to safely swim from and it is made up of small pieces of sharp coral so footwear is a good idea, swimming at night is a bad idea as there is no light.

There is a small drinks shop inside the main lodge. Upstairs is an information and history room about Pulau Selengin/Sandakan and the turtle rescue project.

Do
During the day, visitors can enjoy the beaches and snorkel in the sea. Snorkels and fins are available for hire on the island.

There is only one beach/swim area as the rest of the edges of the island have very strong undertows.

There is a police presence on the island (as part of ESSCOM, East Sabah Security Command) to protect the turtles, smuggling, immigration. They have separate accommodation from the overnight tourists.

The island has a superb star scape due to the lack of light pollution, so do not forget to look up and enjoy it.

Eat
Buffet meals are provided in the cafeteria as part of the visit to the Island. The food is pleasant and just enough for the 12 people and guides, boat drivers, and staff. A small shop for beer and cold drinks is open for the evening meal and closes at 21:00 so take some cash, no cards.

Upstairs is a history room and your guide will walk you through the room, picture cards and photos are available to buy.

Sleep
Accommodation is in a lodge providing basic but clean and comfortable air-conditioned individual rooms the beds and foam pillows are excellent. There is nowhere to hang your dry/wet clothes so bring a cord and create your own. Lock your door and window as the monitor lizards if they smell food will trash your room to find it. There are no snakes or crabs, just the odd lizard and turtle.

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

title: Turtle Islands Park


text:
Turtle Mountains

The Turtle Mountains are a region of North Dakota. The Turtle Mountains are located along the border with Manitoba, in the central part of the state. It is one of only a few naturally forested places in the state, and provides ample opportunities for outdoor activities and just taking in the scenery. In Manitoba, the region is typically referred to as "Turtle Mountain".

Do

 * From Minot, take US 83 to State Highway 5 near Westhope, go East to Dunseith, then turn North on US 281 towards the border. The scenery continues well past it but you'll want to stop at the Peace Garden for sure. Crossing the border, you'll be on Provincial Highway 10, which continues to Brandon and the Trans-Canada Highway. Notable places along the way: Bottineau; Dunseith and the International Peace Garden.

title: Turtle Mountains


text:
Tusayan

Tusayan is a town of 600 people (2019) just 2 miles (3.2 km) from the South Rim entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. It is most often used by travelers to the park for overnight lodging.

Understand
Surrounded by the Kaibab forest and just 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Grand Canyon, Tusayan is a tourist-oriented town providing easy lodging, camping and dining for visitors.

By car
Travelers would arrive on Arizona State Route 64 (AZ 64) passes through the center of town. North of town through the South Entrance is the Grand Canyon. AZ 64 continues east through the park to the East Entrance and on to Cameron and Arizona State Route 89 (AZ 89), which runs between Flagstaff and Page. South of town is Grand Canyon Junction, where AZ 64 continues south to Williams and ends at Interstate 40. For travelers to/from Flagstaff, a more direct route is US 180 northwest from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Junction, then north on AZ 64 to Tusayan.

By plane

 * Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is the nearest commercial airport to the South Rim.

Many Grand Canyon visitors fly into one of two major metropolitan airports within half a day's drive of the South Rim:

 * Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport – 275 mi west then north from the South Rim.
 * Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – 230 mi south from the South Rim.

By shuttle
The National Park Service provides a shuttle bus service that connects the town and the park. The ride is free. Buses run from before sunrise to after sunset, on four routes: two routes run year-round and two run seasonally. There are several bus stop locations in town, including a park-and-ride on the north end of town.

Camping

Go next

 * Grand Canyon National Park. Unless you have relatives in town you're here to see the Grand Canyon, located just north of town.

title: Tusayan


text:
Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa is a city of over 100,000 people (2020) in Metropolitan Alabama and home of the University of Alabama.

Get in
Birmingham Airport serves a majority of residents and students. It is about an hour's drive north east from Tuscaloosa, an hour and a half going the speed limit.

By plane

 * Birmingham International Airport, 5900 Airport Hwy, Birmingham, +1 205 595-0533, Email: info@flybirmingham.com. The closest airport with commercial airline service is in Birmingham, 60 miles north-east of Tuscaloosa. It is Alabama's largest airport serving the Greater Birmingham area and surrounding Southeastern cities. More than 160 arrivals from and departures to major cities throughout the United States are offered daily.

By train
Amtrak serves Tuscaloosa with its once-daily Crecent service between New York City and New Orleans. Both north- and southbound trains arrive early afternoon.

By car
Tuscaloosa can be reached going north or south on I-59 and East or West on I-20.

By bus

 * Greyhound 2520 Stillman Blvd, +1 205 758-6651, Greyhound Package Express: +1 205 758-6653, Greyhound Charter: +1-800-454-2487. Hours of operation are subject to change. Please call to verify hours before making travel arrangements. M-F 7:30AM-6PM, Sa 7:30AM-5PM, Su 7:30AM-9AM, 1:30-5PM, closed on holidays.

By boat
Tuscaloosa is located on the Black Warrior River. It can traveled upon from the Tombigbee River.

Get around
The best way to get around the city is by car.

Taxis

 * Alpha & Omega Taxi Service, +1 205 242-8936
 * Deluxe Radio Cab Co., 3102 Greensboro Ave, +1 205 758-9025
 * Radio Cab Service, 2101 Jemison Ave, +1 205 758-2831
 * AL Sterling Limo-Cab, +1 205 242-2689

Limousine Services

 * Birmingham Airport Shuttle carrequest@birminghamairportshuttle.com
 * Ambassador Limousine Service Inc., +1 205 556-5466
 * Premier Limousine, +1 205 345-0733.
 * Silver Leaf Luxury Limousine Service , +1 205 702-4566, Email: Sales@LimoAL.com.
 * Stardust Limousine Service, Inc., +1 205 349-5466.
 * Stardust Limousine Service, Inc., +1 205 349-5466.

By bus
The Tuscaloosa Transit Authority Phone number: +1 205-343-2300. The main transit stop is the Intermodal Facility Terminal, 601 23rd Ave. Tuscaloosa Transit Authority offers the following trolley services:
 * University Shuttle - Operates along University Blvd. between the Intermodal Facility Terminal and University of Alabama
 * V.A./University Mall

Do

 * See a University of Alabama football game. Game Day on the Quad is a not-to-be missed event; among a sea of crimson-clad fans, the smell of hamburgers, hotdogs and barbecue waft from many tents. Saying a heartfelt "Roll Tide" might even earn you a lunch. Or, you can just shout "Roll Tide" into the crowd, and hear the enthusiastic response.
 * University of Alabama Golf Course, 15th St, Lighted driving range.
 * River Road Park East and River Road Park West are connected by the Riverwalk Path. They overlook the Oliver Lake segment of the Black Warrior River along Jack Warner Parkway. Both parks have an abundance of grills, picnic tables, and benches. River Road Park East can be found at the bottom of Hackberry Lane. It features an overlook pier. a separate fishing pier, and a pavilion with eating tables and an extra large grill. River Road Park West features a large elevated gazebo. The whole area is very well lit after dark with modern traditional style street lamps.
 * University of Alabama Golf Course, 15th St, Lighted driving range.
 * River Road Park East and River Road Park West are connected by the Riverwalk Path. They overlook the Oliver Lake segment of the Black Warrior River along Jack Warner Parkway. Both parks have an abundance of grills, picnic tables, and benches. River Road Park East can be found at the bottom of Hackberry Lane. It features an overlook pier. a separate fishing pier, and a pavilion with eating tables and an extra large grill. River Road Park West features a large elevated gazebo. The whole area is very well lit after dark with modern traditional style street lamps.

Buy

 * A Bear Bryant houndstooth hat

Eat

 * Hooligans Located 515 15th St has the best burgers in the area, and at a bargain. Also serve Mediterranean food. Gyros, wraps, hot wings, top notch hummus, babaganoush, and more. It’s eclectic in choice and delicious in taste, no matter the order.
 * Thai Basil Sushi II, 1402 University Blvd. Formerly Surin, this is a Thai restaurant and sushi bar chain on the strip.
 * Quick grill A small kiosk in front of Publix on the strip. Greek food is their concentration (lamb, falafel, hummus, etc.), but you can also get everything from French fries to chicken. They're open very late.
 * Full Moon barbeque Located off of 15th Street, this restaurant provides BBQ that is out of this world. Try the fried green tomatoes or one of the several baked potatoes that are the size of a small football.
 * Mugshot's A great restaurant bar and grill with famous hamburgers. Try their best burger, the McDonald.
 * Swen. Chinese food, located in the Strip area.
 * Swen. Chinese food, located in the Strip area.
 * Swen. Chinese food, located in the Strip area.
 * Swen. Chinese food, located in the Strip area.
 * Swen. Chinese food, located in the Strip area.
 * Swen. Chinese food, located in the Strip area.

Drink
Many of the popular bars in Tuscaloosa are not true bars, but are instead restaurants that serve more alcohol and less food as the night goes on. Since they are not classified as bars, people under 21 may be allowed in, though they typically will be turned away after 10:00pm (when it becomes too crowded for the staff to keep track of who is underage). They may also ask people under 21 who are already present to leave at 10:00.

 * The Strip, a row of bars and shops along University Dr. just off campus. The Houndstooth is a sportsbar that was once voted by Sports Illustrated as the number one college sports bar in the nation.  Gallete's doesn't have a sign on the front, and is one of the most popular student bars around.  The Strip is geared more towards University of Alabama students due to its proximity to campus.
 * Downtown - Tuscaloosa's downtown bar scene includes establishments around the corner of 4th Street and 23rd Avenue including Rhythm and Brews and Mellow Mushroom. Just a block southwest of this area around the corner of 6th Street and Greensboro Avenue you'll find Mugshots, Innisfree Irish Pub, and Catch 22.

Sleep

 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360
 * Hilton Garden Inn, 800 Hollywood Blvd. +1 205-722-0360

Stay safe
The Tuscaloosa Metro is relatively safe. The southern and eastern/Alberta City areas of Tuscaloosa are some of the most crime-ridden.

Go next

 * Birmingham (Alabama)

title: Tuscaloosa


text:
Tuscania

Tuscania is a city in northern Lazio in Italy. Not to be confused with Tuscany, which in Italian is Toscana.

Get in
Coming from the north (e.g. Florence) on the A1 Autostrada, exit at Orvieto, follow the directions for Montefiascone, then Marta and Tuscania. From Rome or Fiumicino Airport, take the A12 that joins into the Via Aurelia. Leave this road at Montalto di Castro, follow directions to Tuscania.

See

 * San Pietro. One of the most fascinating churches in Lazio, this basilica was begun in the 8th century and renovated in the 11th-12th centuries. It is mainly interesting for its façade, which includes a superb rose window as well as some most un-Christian-like decorations, including three-headed carvings, known as trifrons. There are also representations of the Church and of Evil.
 * Santa Maria Maggiore. This Romanesque Church also has some fanciful images on the façade.
 * Walls. The city retains most of its medieval walls and some towers that protected the palaces of the important families.
 * The Etruscan Museum. Contains sarcophagi and other objects from nearby tombs.

Sleep

 * Bed and Breakfast and Agriturismo
 * Bed and Breakfast and Agriturismo

Connect

 * Chiamamondo , Via Piansano, 7 (info@chiamamondo.it). Internet point, international calls, money transfer, files scanning, files printing, faxes and copies.

title: Tuscania


text:
Tuscany

Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is a region on Italy's west coast, on the Tyrrhenian sea. It is one of the most popular places to visit in a country that is itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. There are several reasons to visit Tuscany: some of the most important ones are seeing Renaissance art in Florence, eating Tuscan food and tasting the excellent local wines, and after all this enjoying a day at the beach in Viareggio.

Other regions

 * The wine growing region of Chianti
 * The ecogreen area of Casentino
 * Maremma, a less populated region, in south Tuscany and North Latium

Cities

 * (Italian: Firenze) – Capital of the region and considered the centre of the Renaissance. Also a.

 * – Hilltop town known for its wine.
 * – City known worldwide for its Leaning Tower.
 * – Hilltop town known for its wine.
 * – City known worldwide for its Leaning Tower.
 * – City known worldwide for its Leaning Tower.
 * – City known worldwide for its Leaning Tower.

Other destinations
There are many hot springs in Tuscany, which have been prized since ancient Roman times, if not earlier.

Understand
Tuscany has three very diverse faces; the art cities such as Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa, the countryside, and the coastal and islands region.

The small towns, villages, castles, villas and vineyards of Tuscany make a welcome change from the traffic and noise of some of the larger Tuscan cities.

By plane
International flights commonly come in to Milan or Rome, where one can rent a car and do the three-hour drive to Tuscany.

Florence and Pisa have important airports. Every major city has a railway station.

 * , 1.5km (1 mile) south of Pisa city centre.
 * , four kilometres from the centre of Florence.

Delta Air Lines (US carrier) has a direct flight from New-York JFK to Pisa, offering a cheaper, alternative to flying into Florence.

By train
Florence, Pisa, and Grosseto are important rail destinations. Florence has two major rail stations, Santa Maria Novella (SMN) in the city centre and Campo di Marte (CdM) a bit further away.

Connections from Florence to the rest of Italy by train are generally fast and frequent and EuroStar Italia services are available. Easy connections can be found to:

 * Milano
 * Orvieto
 * Rome
 * Bologna
 * Ravenna
 * Cinque Terre (reachable by train to La Spezia or Riomaggiore, or connecting from Genoa)
 * Assisi

Night train services are available from Florence to: and others.
 * Zurich
 * Munich
 * Siracusa
 * Salerno
 * Reggio

By train
From the central station of Florence you can easily reach most places in Tuscany, including:

 * Siena (1.5 to 2 hours)
 * Pisa (1 to 1.5 hours)
 * San Gimignano (by train to Poggibonsi, 1 hour ride, and then a bus that runs every 30-40 minutes, 25 minute ride)
 * Volterra (also reachable by bus from Poggibonsi)
 * Lucca
 * Arezzo

By bus
Toscana Mobilitá has a useful website for bus routes and schedules in Tuscany. The site is mostly in Italian, but is simple to use. (The Tuscan bus companies Siena Mobilitá, Tiemme, and Toscana Mobilitá seem to be affiliated.)

Siena Mobilità has bus schedules (orari) for and between a number of popular towns in Tuscany including Florence (Firenze in the schedule), Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Cortona, Montepulciano and Chiusi among others. Local services for several cities are marked urbano. The interurban services are all under the tab servizio extraurbano.

Google maps identify bus stops throughout Tuscany for both local and interurban routes. If you click on the bus stop symbol, you can get a list of bus routes serving that stop. Using Google Streetview, you can often identify which side of the road the stop is situated and hence which direction of travel is served by the stop.

Bus users should purchase their bus tickets before boarding the bus. Most Tabacchi-shops (tobacconists) sell bus tickets. Sometimes newsstands and bars may also sell tickets. You must tell the ticket seller your destination so that your ticket will be valid for the correct fare zones. After boarding the bus, stamp your ticket in the machine located behind the driver.

Be aware that many routes have either reduced or no service on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Schedules indicate reduced service as festivo while the regular work day schedule is feriale. Many bus stops have posted schedules.

Blue-coloured buses are for interurban service while orange-coloured buses are for local service. Interurban buses can serve local stops along the route.

See

Tuscany is world-famous for its churches, including the Duomo and Baptistery, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, San Miniato al Monte and several others in Florence; the Duomo and Baptistery in Siena; and the Duomo and Baptistery in Pisa.

Tuscany is also known for its great museums, especially the Uffizi in Florence but also the Bargello and Accademia, the Musei dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence and Siena, the museum in the Palazzo Pubblico and the Pinacoteca in Siena, and the Museo Archeologico in Arezzo, among many others.

The small town of San Gimignano deserves special mention because while none of its churches or museums are very large, it contains so much beauty in such a small area. The town of Pienza is itself practically a museum in the round, as its foremost claim to fame is its architecture. There are many other beautiful small towns with great art, including Cortona.

Which segues into the other great draw of a trip to Tuscany: The beauty of the countryside. In order to understand Tuscan painting, you need to see the Tuscan countryside, which except for the relatively recent introduction of sunflower cultivation is still similar to what you can see in paintings by great Gothic painters like Giotto (Florentine), Simone Martini and Duccio (Sienese).

Parks

Do
Besides wandering in beautiful cities and looking at Renaissance art, there are many other things you can do in Tuscany. For example, you can learn to cook or just taste Tuscan food, do trekking, golf or go to a health spa.

See also: Wine tourism

Most of the important traditional wine producers are located along the axis formed by Florence and Siena. The most famous region is Chianti along with neighboring Montalcino and Montepulciano. The white wines are less famous than the reds, but as an exception the Vernaccia of San Gimignano is recognized as a DOCG wine. The Tuscan wine industry has evolved a lot during the last 30-40 years, and the result is what is called Super Tuscan wine, famously produced in Bolgheri but also in Maremma and many other parts of Tuscany.

Tuscany offers great biking opportunities, especially the central part. The hills and small cities give a pleasant variation, but it is rather strenuous, as July and August can be very hot.

Thermal Springs: Terme di Saturnia Saturnia

Eat
Tuscan food is known for its relative simplicity and its reliance on the high-quality ingredients from its many farms.

A small selection of the rich regional Tuscan cuisine comprises:
 * ribollita — bread soup with vegetables
 * zuppa di verdure — green vegetable soup
 * pici — thick spaghetti
 * pasta e fagiolli — pasta with beans
 * bistecca alla fiorentina (Florentine steak)
 * prosciutto Toscano — a dry cured ham that legally can only be called such if it is produced in Tuscany using traditional methods. Unlike the better-known prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto di San Daniele, which are cured using only sea salt, prosciutto Toscano is cured using a special mixture of sea salt with various local spices, thus giving it a unique flavour.
 * desserts
 * panforte, a unique dense Sienese fruit and nut cake
 * cavallucci - Sienese Christmas cookies, made with almonds, candied fruit and also spices like anise and coriander that presumably date back to the time when Siena had a monopoly on trade with the East
 * ricciarelli - almond paste cookies, also a speciality of Siena
 * biscotti di Prato, also called cantuccini - the almond biscuits most travellers to Italy are already familiar with originated in the Tuscan town of Prato and are still manufactured there

In addition, Tuscany has its own traditional cheeses, including Pecorino Toscano, a much milder cheese than the better-known Pecorino Romano and a great accompaniment to prosciutto and melon or just to eat with fresh bread, and Pecorino di Pienza, perhaps an even better appreciated local sheep cheese.

Drink
The question about what to drink in Tuscany is easy to answer. The region is famed for its wines, most notably the sangiovese reds Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Of these, Chianti can be anything from inexpensive, drinkable plonk to, when it comes to the best examples of Chianti Classico, a world class wine. The wines of Montalcino and Montepulciano are generally of a high standard, and in particular Brunello regularly receives lots of awards (something reflected on the price as well). If you are not prepared to pay a fortune for your wine but would still like something a bit nicer, both Montalcino and Montepulciano have the common man's version of their wines, Rosso di Montalcino and Rosso di Montepulciano.

Of these traditional wines perhaps only Brunello has the power to accompany a big Florentine steak, bistecca alla fiorentina. For something fleshier, you have to turn to the Super Tuscan wines. These commonly use cabernet sauvignon to complement or to completely replace the traditional grapes. Famous examples are Sassicaia and Tignanello.

Sleep
There are loads of hotels in the cities that are major tourist attractions, including Florence and Siena, and there are also plenty of agriturismo spots and villas in the countryside. If you are seeking less expensive accommodation, you are more likely to find it closer to railway stations in cities like Florence, but some other cities' railway stations are outside the city walls, and some major destinations such as San Gimignano don't have any railway station at all. You may also try your luck at local tourism agencies, which may have a list of relatively inexpensive accommodations, such as apartments for rent by the day or week and pieno pensioni (boarding houses that provide 3 meals a day).

Go next

 * Umbria, to the east, shares Tuscany's rolling hills but is further inland and higher up; it is also less densely populated, and has an equally good but distinctive cuisine that features black truffles and mushrooms.
 * Lazio, to the south, was the heart of both ancient Rome and the Papal States, and though it, too, has beautiful countryside, it is above all the region of Rome.
 * Emilia-Romagna, to the north, is another region traditionally known for its great food (especially in Bologna) and rich in history, including the extraordinary and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna.
 * Liguria, up the coast to the northwest, contains the Italian Riviera and the historic port city of Genoa.
 * The Marche, which shares a short, mountainous border with the eastern side of Tuscany, is a lesser-known region, but one that also has quite a long history including the hill city of Urbino and also features the spectacular Grotte di Frasassi (Frasassi Caves).

title: Tuscany


text:
Tuscola

There is more than one place called Tuscola:

United States of America

 * Tuscola (Illinois) — A town in Illinois.
 * Tuscola (Texas) — A town in Texas.

title: Tuscola


text:
Tuscola (Illinois)

Tuscola is a city in Central Illinois.

Get in
Tuscola Airport

Eat

 * Flessors, a restored 1910 soda shop.
 * Cast Iron Pub, 125 W Sale St, +1 217-599-1511

title: Tuscola (Illinois)


text:
Tuscumbia

Tuscumbia is a small town in northwest Alabama near Wheeler Lake and Wilson Lakes, best known as the birthplace of the famous deaf-blind activist and author, Helen Keller.

title: Tuscumbia


text:
Tutóia

Tutóia is a town in Northern Maranhão, mainly only a stopover between Lençóis Maranhenses and Parnaíba.

Get in

 * Several daily buses to Parnaíba, last one leaving at 16:00, 3 hours R$25.
 * One daily to São Luís.
 * 4x4 pick up trucks for Paulino Neves, R$8, 1½ hours. These leave at varying hours, mostly corresponding with buses from Parnaíba, but the only one that seems to be guaranteed leaves at 10:00.
 * There used to be a regular boat to Parnaíba, but no more. You can rent a motor launch for R$400, taking up to 4 people.

Do
There is a beach of sorts within walking distance.

Sleep
Several simple pousadas. A campsite just outside town.

Go next

 * Pequenos Lençóis Park - see Paulino Neves

title: Tutóia


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Thoothukudi

Thoothukudi, formerly Tuticorin, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District which is located at the southeastern part of Tamil Nadu. It is almost 580 km away from Chennai, about 261 km away from Tiruchirappalli and about 133 km away from Madurai.

Names of the city
Tuticorin (in English) or Thoothukudi (in Tamil) used to be called Thirumandhira Nagar. There are three theories as to the origin of the name Thoothukudi. First, thoorthu is Tamil for "dig", and kudi means "drink": The town had no rivers and the only source of drinking water was from wells. Second, thoortha means "land reclaimed from the sea" while kudi also stands for "settlement" or "colony". Finally, the Tuticorin name was used by Dutch people who got there before the English, so some people have suggested they named the city.

History
Thoothukudi has been known for its pearl diving (thus the nickname Pearl City (Muthu Nagaram in Tamil) and for shipbuilding. Thoothukudi became the centre of the Indian independence movement in the early 20th century, with such leaders as the poet Subramanya Bharathy, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Venni Kalady, Vellaya Thevan, and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. In 1906, the freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, with the help of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, launched the first Swadeshi ship S.S. Gaelia from this port town in British India.

The major harbour of Thoothukudi is one of the oldest sea ports in the world, was the seaport of the Pandyan Kingdom after Korkai and later was taken over by the Portuguese in 1548, captured by the Dutch in 1658, and ceded to the British in 1825. The lighthouse built in 1842 marked the beginning of the history of Thoothukudi harbour's development. Thoothukudi was established as a municipality in 1866 with Roche Victoria as its first chairman.

During World War II, when India was still under British dominance, the economic and strategic importance of V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust made the town vulnerable to enemy bombings. Sirens and bomb shelters were installed in the town.

After independence, the Port of Thoothukudi witnessed a flourishing trade and handled a variety of cargo meant for neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as well as various coastal regions of India.

To cope with the increasing trade through Thoothukudi, the government of India sanctioned the construction of an all-weather Port at Thoothukudi. In 1974, the V. O. Chidambaranar Port opened as the 10th major port in India.

Economy
The economy of Thoothukudi is based on shipping, fishing, salt pan, mineral and agricultural industries (rice and palmyrah trees, from which jaggery is made, are cultivated nearby). 30% of India's salt is produced in this district. V. O. Chidambaranar Port is one of the major ports in India, the second-largest port in Tamil Nadu after Chennai Port and third-largest container terminal in India after Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai and Kolkata Port Trust in West Bengal. Due to its proximity with Colombo, Thoothukudi is a major hub for India's trade with Sri Lanka.

By train
A popular way of getting here is by train, most useful is the daily Pearl City Express service from Chennai which departs 7:35PM every evening, arriving the next morning at 7:30AM. Bangalore and Mysore have night trains bound for Thoothukudi, with a departure time from Mysore at 6PM and from Bangalore 9:20PM, arriving 10:45AM the next day. Regional destinations with direct trains include Coimbatore and Tirunelveli.

By road
Thoothukudi City is well connected by road with rest of the country. The major highways are,
 * Thoothukudi - Madurai (NH 45B);
 * Thoothukudi - Palayamkottai(NH 7A);
 * Thoothukudi - Tiruchendur (State Highway);
 * Thoothukudi - Ramanathapuram (State Highway);
 * Thoothukudi - Madurai (NH 45B) and Thoothukudi - Tirunelveli (NH 7A) are being converted into 4-lane Expressway.

By sea
V. O. Chidambaranar Port is the gateway to India when it comes to shipping with cargo ships arriving daily, some of these accept paying passengers. It's also the only port in the country with a weekly direct cargo service from USA, taking 22 days. Europe, China and several ports along the Red Sea have direct routes too.

Get around
Thoothukudi has two main bus stations, namely the New Bus Stand and Arignar Anna Bus stand. Town buses connect both of them with other parts of the town. A network of mini-buses makes getting around Thoothukudi easier.

Auto-rickshaws are also preferable. If you want to travel by the auto, consult local friends or relatives beforehand to find out reasonable prices for the distance you intend to go and negotiate a rate with the driver before the journey.

Palayamkottai Road (stretching westward from Arignar Anna Bus Stand), areas surrounding the Lord Bhagam Priyal temple, Lord Shiva and Lord Perumal temples, WGC (West Great Cotton) Road, its parallel V.E. (Victoria Extension) Road and the streets adjacent to WGC Road form the main area of Thoothukudi. One should be careful and aware of the one-way traffic along the WGC Road.

Do
Tuticorin is famous for Our Lady of Snows Shrine Basilica festival which takes place during August every year. To show their love and gratitude, devotees presented a golden car which is used to carry the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Snows around the town during her feast day. The Golden Car first appeared in procession on 2 February 1806 and since then on 5 August of every year. A big star rests over the royal crown on the top of the car, signifying the name of Our Lady as the Star of the Sea (Stella Maris). The statue is one of three works of religious art brought by explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Philippines, the others being the Santo Niño de Cebu and the Manapad altar crucifix.

The Lady of Snows is fondly called by the local people Maathaa (literally Mother). This church is known for religious harmony among Hindus and Christians in Tuticorin. Peoples of all religions from Hindu and Muslim also come to the festivals. Some Hindus light the candle and pray (by standing in front of Lady of Snows). You can see portrait of Maathaa along with other Hindu deities in some Hindu houses.

Adventure activities
Thoothukudi provides a host of aquatic activities like surfing, kite surfing, snorkeling, kayaking

Eat
There are many restaurants in Tuticorin. Most of them are of South-Indian cuisine. Some are vegetarian and some are non-vegetarian. Enquire with your hotel receptionist or Auto-Rickshaw driver or Taxi Driver or any local friends or relatives for restaurants.

Besides hotels and restaurants, there are a lot of tea and coffee bars, snacks stalls, fruit juice corners, bakeries, and sweet stalls which can be found at any main area.

Tuticorin is famous for a wide variety of sweets, snacks, and the famous "Parotta Salna Set". Tuticorin has its own version of the "macaroon", this version differs from the French version since its made with egg whites, cashew, sugar, and yeast. Alagu Vilas, Lala Mithai Kadai, Namachivaya are all famous sweet meat shops that sell delicious traditional sweets and savories.

Thoothukudi macaroon: Thoothukudi is known for its bakery items especially Macaroon. Macaroon is cake or cookie of European origin. It is a light, baked confection including ingredients like almonds, coconuts and nuts. Thoothukudi macaroon is slightly different from European macaroons since it contains cashew as a main ingredient.

Ganesh Bakery on VOC Road sells the famous macaroon and while you are stocking up on their macaroons, you could also pick up their delicious cakes and cookies. Another sweet worthy of mention is thenkuzhal made of molasses, a sinful combination of flour and molasses in a unique floral-ring shape. You can find this in Alagu Vilas. You need to specifically ask for "karupatti thenkuzhal". Palayamkottai Rd and WGC Road have a slew of bakeries along their stretch.

If you are in South Tuticorin near Beach Road, you must try the local delicacies - vazhapazha innipu (banana halwa), dodol (yes, a local version of the Indonesian sweet), paaghu (made with brinjal and palm jaggery), puttu karupatti (cute molasses candies). These are all made in the houses that line the Beach Road and Lady of Snows Church. It would be a good idea to ask the locals to find these houses. If you are near the old bus stand, do pick up "Nut Bars" from Gnanam Bakery - a delicious nut candy made with oodles of ghee.

Thoothukudi is not famous just for the sweets, this is a town famous for its hot, spicy meat fare made right on the streets. Alwar Night Club is where the locals go berserk over deep fried parotta pieces coated with chicken/mutton gravies. For vegetarians, Brindavan Hotel offers traditional Chettinad delicacies like hot and sweet paniyarams. There is something in Tuticorin for every palate - two things you shouldn't leave without sampling are the macaroons and the salna set from Alwar.

Sleep
Lodges exist in areas around the Old Bus Stand and along V.E road.

Stay safe
For Police, Dial 100;

For Ambulance/Fire Service, Dial 101.

Medical stores and pharmacies can be found along the main roads and main streets, but if you regularly take a medicine, it is best to bring that along with you.

Cope

 * Radio - Tuticorin has All India Radio Station which Carries AIR External Services for South Asia in English, as well as Sinhala and Tamil (1053 kHz).

Go next

 * Rameswaram: An island connected to the mail land by a land and rail bridge
 * Courtallam (Kutrallam) - Courtallam (Kutrallam), the 'Spa of the south', which is famous for its waterfalls is about 112 km west from Tuticorin and 61 km west from Tirunelveli.
 * Ettaiyapuram - Ettaiyapuram is the birth place of the great Tamil Poet Mahakavi Bharathiar. Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the triad of Carnatic music also was patronised in his final years by the ruler of Ettaiyapuram.Umaru Pulavar a Tamil Islamic poet also lived here. Ettaiyapuram is about 42 km north of Tuticorin, located on the Tuticorin - Madurai national highway (NH 45B).
 * Festivals in Thiruchendur - Soorasamharam is performed here. Brahmothsavam in the month of Magha (February – March), Vasanthothsavam for 10 days in Chaitra (April – May), Visaka Visakam for 12 days in Vaisakha (May – June) and Skandha Sashti in Asvini (October – November) are celebrated in this temple.Besides these, there are two Maha Utsavams called,in Tamil, as Aavanipperunthirunaal and Maasipperunthirunaal being conducted and celebrated in a grand fashion during Simharavi i.e.,Tamil month of Aavani(August-September)and Kumbharavi i.e., Tamil month of Maasi(January-February) respectively. These are 12 day festivals which happen twice every year,during the above said periods. Thiruchendur is about 38 km south of Tuticorin.
 * Kanyakumari - Kanyakumari is 133 km south-west of Tuticorin. Kanyakumari which is also called Cape Comorin is located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula. Kanyakumari has the temple for Kanya Devi, an avatar of Goddess Parvati.
 * Kanyakumari is popular in India for its spectacular and unique sunrise and sunset. The confluence of three ocean bodies - the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea - makes the sunrise and sunset even more special. On balmy, full-moon evenings, (locally called Chitra Pournami) one can also see the moon-rise and sunset at the same time - on either side of the horizon.
 * On two rocky islets just off the shore are the Vivekanda Rock Memorial, built in 1970, and the gigantic 133 feet statue of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar. Swami Vivekananda is said to have seated on a rock in deep meditation. That rock is now called Vivekanda Rock Memorial. Also on this rock, there is a Dhyana mandapam, an area for meditation. Boat services are available to reach the Vivekanda Rock Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar Statue. The famous temple Thanumalayan Temple Suchindram is located in Kanyakumari.

 * Kulasekarapattinam - Lord Mutharamman Temple is in Kulasekarapattinam. It is the only temple in South Asia where God and Goddess are in the same shrine. Kulasekarapattinam is very famous for Dasara Festival. In India, Dasara is very famous after Mysore. The Dasara festival takes place during October. In the past there was trade between Kulasekarapattinam and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Trade between Kulasekarapattinam and Colombo (of Sri Lanka) was very high that Kulasekarapattinam was once called by the title Chinna Colombo (Small or Little Colombo). Kulasekarapattinam is about 51 km south of Tuticorin and about 13 km south of Tiruchendur.
 * Lord Nellaiappar - Kanthimathi Amman Temple is a vast temple with many unique features such as the Manimandapam near the Nandi mandapam that has two huge pillars carved out of a single stone. Each giant pillar has 48 small pillars which produce musical sounds when struck.
 * Manappadu - The Holy Cross Church at Manapad was built in 1581. Thousands of worshippers congregate during the festival season from 1 to 14 September every year. The church is associated with St. Francis Xavier. Manappadu is about 52 km south of Tuticorin and about 18 km south of Tiruchendur.
 * Ottapidaram - Ottapidaram is birth Place of V.O. Chidambaram, a great Freedom Fighter who launched the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, competing against British ships.. Ottapidaram is the biggest taluk in Tamil Nadu state. Ottapidaram is only a few kilometres north-west of Tuticorin.
 * Panchalankurichi - Panchalankurichi is the birth place of the brave Veerapandiya Kattabomman, a 17th century Palayakarrar (or Polygar), who opposed the British colonial rule in India and their Tax collecting methods. Today Panchalankurichi is a historically important place and tourist center with Kattabomman Memorial Fort being the major attraction. Panchalankurichi is also only a few kilometres north-west of Tuticorin.
 * Thiruchendur - Lord Muruga Temple in Thiruchendur is the second of the Arupadai Vedu(six abodes) of Lord Muruga. It is a holy place to the Ayyavazhi. The Avatharappathi here is one of the most important pilgrim centers of Ayyavazhi. Naazhi Kinaru (sacred well), is outside the temple at a distance of 100 m south of the temple. Devotees are allowed to bathe by scooping out the water with a vessel and the water in the well never dries up. Despite the temple being on the seashore, the water is not salty
 * Tirunelveli - Tirunelveli is about 51 km west from Tuticorin. Lord Nellaiappar - Kanthimathi Amman Temple is in the city of Tirunelveli. It is one of the famous Tamil Nadu temples, deep in tradition and history and also known for its musical pillars and brilliant sculptural splendours. It is the largest Shiva Temple in TamilNadu. Nellaiappar Car is the third largest car in Tamil Nadu. temple is a complex of two huge temples covering an area of 14 acres and linked by the Mandapam (pillared hall) which has pillars with beautiful life-sized sculptures carved into them, as do many of the Mandapams there. The thousand-pillared hall is of great beauty. The musical pillars in the Mani Mandapam produce sound in various pitches when struck and are from the 7th century AD.
 * Tirunelveli is also famous for the Halwa sweet. Lala snacks are also popular here.

 * Uvari - Uvari is a coastal village few kilometres further south of Manappadu. It is 75 km from Tirunelveli and 45 km from Kanyakumari. The Kappal Matha Church (our lady of health), with the form of a ship carrying an airplane, is located here. The original church of St. Mary was damaged by sea erosion, and replaced by this one built in 1974. There are three shrines and many grottos.
 * The sister town of this village is known as Keezha Uvari which is famous for an ancient Shiva temple, Sri Suyambulingaswamy Thirukovil. Today little is left except the remnants of gate arches carved out of rock and an abandoned temple, a little away from the newly constructed main temple.

title: Thoothukudi


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Tutong

Tutong is a small town of Tutong District of Brunei. It is located on the banks of Tutong River.

Understand

Tutong is the only town in Tutong District. It serves as the principal administrative and economic centre of the district.

By bus
Bus from Miri to Bandar Seri Begawan or from BSB to Miri will stop in Tutong and Kuala Belait if you ask them to stop. Overall travel from Miri to Capital of Brunei will take at least three hours driving.

Get around
As public transportation such as buses outside Bandar Seri Begawan is not reliable, the way to get around in Tutong is by downloading the ride hailing app Dart.

See

 * Taman Seri Warisan Emas.jpg
 * - part of ASEAN Heritage Park
 * Taman Seri Warisan Emas.jpg
 * - part of ASEAN Heritage Park
 * Taman Seri Warisan Emas.jpg
 * - part of ASEAN Heritage Park
 * - part of ASEAN Heritage Park

Eat
In Brunei, Tutong District is synonymous with pulut panggang (from the same name in Malay) and it can be obtained in the town. Pulut panggang is a type of Malay or Nyonya cuisine made with glutinous rice, wrapped in pandan leaves and grilled, hence the name which literally means 'grilled glutinous rice'. It may also come with fillings, most commonly of shrimp floss or minced beef. It is even mentioned in a local song, 'Joget Seri Kenangan', which highlights pulut panggang and Seri Kenangan Beach as the two most popular things associated with the district.

Eateries
There are several eateries in Tutong and they consist of, among others, restaurants, bakeries and take-out stalls. The restaurants are generally mamak-style which are notable for serving roti canai (known locally as murtabak) but may also serve Malay, Indonesian and Indian Muslim cuisine; these restaurants are generally inexpensive. There are also a few fast food restaurants, both of local and foreign joints. Meanwhile, like elsewhere in the country, bakeries in Tutong offer Western-style bread, pastries and cakes but nevertheless may have local or regional twist. Similarly, take-out stalls in the town usually sell snacks such as roti john (the Malay version of omelette sandwich), local variant of burgers, kebab served in pita bread, as well as drinks such as cordials and bubble tea.

Go next

 * Miri
 * Kuala Belait
 * Seria
 * Sengkurong
 * Jerudong
 * Berakas
 * Bandar Seri Begawan
 * Limbang
 * Bangar
 * Lawas

title: Tutong


text:
Tuttle

There is more than one place called Tuttle:

North Dakota

 * Tuttle (North Dakota) - A city (pop. 106 at 2000 census) in Kidder County, North Dakota.

Oklahoma

 * Tuttle (Oklahoma) - A city (pop. 4,294 at 2000 census) in Grady County, in the Frontier Country of Oklahoma. It is considered part of Greater Oklahoma City.

 * Note: In the United states, incorporated communities are often called "cities" regardless of their size.

title: Tuttle


text:
Tuttle (Oklahoma)

Tuttle is city (pop. 4,294 at 2000 census) in Grady County, in the Frontier Country of Oklahoma. It is in the Tri-City area of Greater Oklahoma City.

Get in
Located southwest of Oklahoma City. About 10 miles west on HWY 37 from Exit 108 West on I-44 West. (NB: Do not take Exit 108a.)

title: Tuttle (Oklahoma)


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Tuttlingen

Tuttlingen is a large town in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany.

Get in
Nearby airports include Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen and Zürich.

The town has a with local services to neighbouring towns (and even a stop for the schools), regional services to the Black Forest, the valley of Danube, the Lake of Constance as well as a IC (Intercity) train connection from and to Stuttgart and Zürich.

Get around
The town has an ample bus network leading out to the suburbs and to neighbouring towns but it is easier to walk or cycle as it is an easy town to get around in.

See

 * The beautiful young river Danube flows through the town and there are several bridges to get across it.

Connect
The town has access to all the major mobile phone networks and public phones are easily spotted by their bright pink logo. Calling from Europe to Europe is becoming cheaper each year although it may be better to sort out something with your mobile provider before you go so you can get the best deal. As of summer 2009 Vodafone are getting rid of roaming charges, meaning it is the same price (or sometimes cheaper!) to call and text both home and abroad.

title: Tuttlingen


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Tuva

Tuva or Tyva (Russian and Tuvan: Тыва́ tyh-VAH) is a region in Eastern Siberia, bordering Altai to the west, Khakassia to the northwest, Krasnoyarsk (region) to the north, Irkutsk Oblast to the northeast, Buryatia to the east, and Mongolia to the south.

Cities

 * (Кызыл) — the capital city of Tuva.
 * (Кызыл) — the capital city of Tuva.
 * (Кызыл) — the capital city of Tuva.
 * (Кызыл) — the capital city of Tuva.

Other destinations

 * — a "medicinal" spring near many cultural monuments
 * — in 2003, the UNESCO listed the Uvs Lake Basin as a natural World Heritage Site. It was nominated as "one of the largest intact watersheds in Central Asia where 40,000 archeological sites can be found from historically famous nomadic tribes such as the Scythians, the Turks and the Huns." This transboundary patrimony is one of the largest sites inscribed in the World Heritage List to date.
 * — in 2003, the UNESCO listed the Uvs Lake Basin as a natural World Heritage Site. It was nominated as "one of the largest intact watersheds in Central Asia where 40,000 archeological sites can be found from historically famous nomadic tribes such as the Scythians, the Turks and the Huns." This transboundary patrimony is one of the largest sites inscribed in the World Heritage List to date.

Understand
Tuva has a long and rich history. For centuries, Tuva was a part of the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China. In 1911, Tuva seceded from the Qing dynasty, and was, for more than two decades, an independent communist state known as the Tuvan People's Republic. In the 1940s, the Soviet Union annexed Tuva under questionable pretenses.

Tuva has a distinctive culture that sets it apart from the rest of Russia; Tuvans don't have Russianized surnames, most Tuvans are adherents of Buddhism, and Tuvan and Mongolian culture share a number of similarities and commonalities.

Tuva is on the border with Mongolia and shares much in common with the adjacent Mongolian regions. Tuvans, a Turkic people, comprise the largest ethnic group (over 60%) in the region and Tibetan Buddhism, mixed with indigenous Shamanism, is the predominant religion.

Perhaps Tuva's greatest offering for the visitor is its musical treasure: Khoomei, also known as throat-singing or overtone-singing, is a method in which the singer simultaneously produces a low drone and a series of higher melodies over the drone note. There are throat-singing traditions elsewhere — notably among the Inuit (Eskimo) in Canada and Alaska — but the Tuvan music is utterly unique and a performance is a powerful experience. There is a fine film Genghis Blues about a blind American blues singer's trip to Tuva.

Tuva is also of interest for its diverse and impressive wild landscapes. Tuva's topography spans desert, grassy steppe, lakes, and snow-covered mountains, many of which are dotted with cultural monuments of the Tuvan and Scythian herdsman who have roamed across the region for millennia.

Tuvans suffered greatly under Soviet repression of their culture and religion, particularly at the incidents of 1929, in which shamans and Buddhist monks were ruthlessly arrested and killed in a large-scale act of cultural vandalism against the Tuvan minority. As a result, foreign tourists are likely to be greeted with an even warmer welcome than in most of Siberia, as they are seen as part of a new future for Tuva that values the region's traditions. Many of the Tuvans were forced by the Soviet government to abandon their nomadic lifestyle and to work on collective farms, but to this day Tuvan culture remains essentially rural and, to a lesser degree, nomadic. Accordingly, to experience the "real" Tuva, you will need to get out into the countryside, among the sacred peaks of the Western Sayan.

People
Tuva is one of the least populated federal subjects of the Russian Federation.

Tuvans are the largest and the main ethnic group in the region, accounting for 89% of the population. Most Tuvans are adherents of Buddhism. Some Tuvans are followers of Tengrism, a folk religion with Central Asian origins. Since 1959, the ethnic Tuvan population has been on the rise.

Russians make up less than 10% of the population and they are the second largest ethnic group in the region. Since 1959, the ethnic Russian population has been declining.

The Khakhas account for less than 0.1% of the population.

Talk
Tuvan is, along with Russian, the official language of the region and is widely and usually spoken by ethnic Tuvans. Tuvan is a Turkic language related to Turkish, Kazakh and Uzbek, but is not mutually intelligible with any of them. Russian, however, is understood by nearly everyone in Kyzyl and usually in towns, somewhat less in the villages in more remote areas of Tuva, where few Russians live.

Get in
Tuva is largely well cut off from the rest of Russia by its mountainous borders and as a result, there is no rail service to Kyzyl. The best option is to take the train from Moscow to Abakan (76 hours), with one-way fares varying from approximately ₽4000 to ₽9500. The price changes according to peak tourist seasons in Russia: by far the cheapest day to travel is 1 January, while July is the most expensive.

It is possible to take a bus from Abakan in neighbouring Khakassia, but is not advisable. The route meanders through the gorgeous Sayan mountain landscapes of the Ergaki region, which would be foolish to miss. The train from Moscow arrives in Abakan at 6AM, and apart from the bus, there will be plenty of taxi drivers offering to take you to Kyzyl (approximately from Abakan) for ₽1000-1500. There is a possibility that you may have to register at the Russian-Tuvan border — just hand over your passport to the police officer, there is no fee for the service.

Kyzyl Airport is small and offers flights to and from the Siberian center of Krasnoyarsk as well as Raduzhny, Khantia-Mansia because of the number of people who work in the oil industry there. There are direct flights from Moscow to Kyzyl twice a week via Ufa, Bashkiria's capital, departing from Moscow on Sunday and Wednesday.

A new railway to Kyzyl is supposedly under construction, but as of 2022, only a symbolic stretch of track was laid, and the announced date for the opening of the line, 2026, seems very optimistic.

Get around
There are buses to the regional centres from the central bus station in Kyzyl. Nearby is a piece of waste land on a corner where cars and minibusses wait to fill up before departing to anywhere you want. If not a popular destination, it can take a while. It is of course possible to pay enough to take the car without filling it up, although less fun and less likely to provide you with local knowledge and even hospitality at your destination. This could also be important in making sure you can also get a ride back to Kyzyl. Remember to dress extremely warmly if travelling in winter, heaters do break down and there can be a long way between stops.

See

 * The capital, Kyzyl, offers the "Centre of Asia" monument, museums, markets and some nightlife.

Outside of Kyzyl
Going in a clockwise direction from Kyzyl (you can use Google Maps to find some of these places):
 * For informal winter sports take the M54 north, then the left fork back road through Seserlig to Taiga — bring your own gear and refreshments
 * Near Arzhan in the north can be seen the huge scythian burial mounds in the Valley of the Kings, whose treasure is in the National Museum
 * Take the ferry to Toora-Khem in Todzha to see Lake Azas and the nature reserve — this remote forested region is the home of the world's southernmost reindeer-herding nomads
 * To the east of Kyzyl is another 'new' bridge that has good picnic, swimming and camping places around it with pleasant views, many wild flowers and good climbing. This bridge has made it easier to visit, discretely, the simple-life villages such as Buren-Baigak, home of Russian 'Old Believers' further to the south-east of Kyzyl, along the Lesser Yenisei (Kaa-Khem). They rejected mid-17th century Russian Orthodox religious reforms, and two centuries later some settled as refugees in Tuva when it was part of China (of course not knowing that Stalin would later make it part of Russia)
 * In the remote south-east of Tuva is Lake Tere-Khol, with the mysterious 'Por Bazhyn' Uyghur fortress on an island near its centre
 * To the south of Kyzyl lies Lake Chagytay, popular for swimming (beware broken bottles) and picnics (mind the rusty tin cans), and spectacular Lake Sut-Khol is off the road to the west of Kyzyl
 * The village of Samagaltai was the old capital and centre for trade with Mongolia when Tuva was Chinese, and has a lovely temple.
 * Further to the south, through Erzin, is the track to Tsagan-Tolgoy, closest settlement to the little-used border-crossing with Mongolia
 * To the west of the border-crossing lies the remote Uvsnuur Basin cross-border World Heritage Site (largest on Earth) where the world's southernmost taiga meets the northernmost sand dune desert, and containing up to 40,000 archaeological sites
 * The Holy Mountain Khairakan is by the main road west from Kyzyl
 * A huge reservoir was formed on the Yenisei, just before it cuts through the Sayan mountains to the north. Villages, farmland and ancient monuments were drowned, without compensation, when the Sayansk-Shushensk hydroelectric project was completed in 1989. Tuva receives no power from it, so relies on its own coal.
 * In the far south-west is Mongun Taiga Mountain and glacier, 3970 m, (Grade 'C' climb)
 * If you have to go to Ak Devorak, buy face masks to protect against wind-blown asbestos dust
 * See prehistoric rock-art of the Sayan Canyon, along the Yenisei towards the border with Khakassia

Do

 * Listen to famed Tuvan throat-singing, in which a singer produces a fundamental drone with multiple harmonic notes creating distinct and layered melodies and sound mimesis.
 * Attend a Tuvan wrestling match, Khuresh, in which one loses by touching the ground with a hand, knee or any other part of the body besides the feet. The victor does the 'eagle dance' around the winning post. If it's a big contest, the overall winner may go home with a new 'jeep'!
 * Horseback riding
 * Attend horse and camel races
 * Enjoy 'shagaa', the oriental lunar new year festival
 * Appreciate views unobscured by tourist kiosks
 * Ask other foreigners where the least worst WCs are, and share your own discoveries and warnings
 * Join the Tuvans on their summer holiday, camping by an 'arzhaan' — restorative spring-water often near lakes where people take mud-baths
 * Notice the 'ovaa' in the countryside, often at passes, holy mounds of stones piled by passers-by, and poles bedecked with prayer-flags
 * From the desert south to the glacier peaks see the camel- and yak-herds and isolated yurts
 * Try river-rafting or canoeing
 * Enjoy the weather: -50°C to +50°C!

Eat

 * Pine kernels: if the Tuvan stone-pine ('kedr') kernels were good enough as a snack for the Soviet cosmonauts, they'll probably be good enough for anyone.
 * As a guest in a village home you may be witness to the slaughtering of the sheep to be cooked in your honour. It will be killed humanely in the traditional way, as Ghengis Khan decreed: no blood must touch the Mongols' earth. The animal is calmly turned so that a small incision can be made with a very sharp knife. Immediately a careful hand is inserted, finds the heart and cuts off the blood circulation. Absolutely all the edible parts are then prepared and cooked, to be presented in separate heaps on a large flat dish. The guest is then asked to cut a piece of each kind for each person, using the sharp knife against a wishbone-shaped 'anvil' made from the breastbone. After that everyone helps themselves with their own knife, or sharing. Food is eaten with the fingers. A clear, derived broth is served to be sipped from the bowl.
 * A very traditional food, 'dalgan', can be hard to find nowadays unless you fall in love with a rural Tuvan grandmother. It is like Tibetan 'tsampa', rolled oats toasted to taste on hot sand in a pot over the fire, sieved to separate, and pounded to a coarse meal. This is then formed into a ball using salt tea or kumiss as the binder.
 * Pretty steamed mutton dumplings, 'booza', also fried as 'khoorshur'.
 * Although Tuva is literally the furthest away from the ocean it's possible to get, in English the source of a favourite winter snack or desert is called sea buckthorn. Able to survive in salty deserts, its tangy orange berries are delicous when frosted, and eaten with sugar topping. They also produce an oil, which Tuvans keep in a bottle for use as a skin ointment.
 * Try chili-hot Korean food at their ethnic restaurants.

Drink

 * Salt brick tea — the Tuvan national non-alcoholic drink of herb tea, milk and salt
 * Leaf tea — without milk or salt, sweetened with wild berry preserves
 * Pine tea — strange resiny taste
 * Kumiss — the Tuvan national 'soft' drink (1-2%) of fermented (mares') milk, can be distilled into
 * Araka — the Tuvan national alcoholic drink (5-10%)

Work
The average salary here is $ 230, many receive less than $ 200. A significant part of the population of Tuva, due to high unemployment and low wages, periodically goes to work in large cities of Siberia (Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Irkutsk) and partly to Mongolia and South Korea, so you should not expect to find a well-paid job here. Unless you can earn extra money as a teacher of foreign languages (especially English), but knowing Russian at the same time.

Stay safe
Remember that 'roads' marked on maps may be sandy or muddy tracks, with few or no signs. Buy maps at bookshops.

Go next
Because of the general remoteness of the region, it is hard to get out from Tuva much any way other than the way you came in. But it is possible, provided your papers are in order, to continue south from Kyzyl into just-as-remote-northwestern Mongolia to explore more of the Uvs-Nuur region. Only Russian and Mongolian citizens can cross the Russian-Mongolian border in Tuva, not citizens of any other countries.

title: Tuva


text:
Tuvalu

Tuvalu is a group of low-lying islands and atolls in the South Pacific that form the fourth smallest country in the world. It is one of the most isolated and remote independent countries in the world. it is a delightful Pacific destination, where your time is well spent in the shade of a palm trees on one of the pretty beaches. Traditional local culture remains very much alive, making the people of Tuvalu one of the nation's best assets. Traditional dancing is performed on special occasions, and the local "maneapa" (the town hall) is your best chances of experiencing one.

Islands
"Tuvalu" is derived from the Tuvaluan language meaning "cluster of eight". In fact, there are nine distinct atolls and islands, but one (Niulakita) was uninhabited until the 20th century.

Understand
It is generally believed that the earlier ancestors came mostly from Samoa, possibly by way of Tokelau, while others came from Tonga and Uvea (Wallis Island). These settlers were all Polynesians with the exception of Nui where many people are descendants of Micronesians from Kiribati. There are three distinct linguistic areas in Tuvalu. The first area contains the islands of Nanumea, Niutao and Nanumaga. The second is the island of Nui where the inhabitants speak a language that is fundamentally derived from I-Kiribati. The third linguistic group comprises the islands of Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti and Nukulaelae. Today, Tuvaluan and English are both spoken throughout the islands. The first European explorer to make contact with Tuvalu was Alvaro de Mendana y Neyra, a Spanish explorer. He sailed westward across the Pacific in 1567-8 to discover, explore and name a substantial part of the eastern half of the Solomon Islands. On 16 January 1568, Mendana, with his ship Capitana, sighted his first island, which turned out to be Nui, and named it the Isle of Jesus.

The islands became part of the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. However, ethnic differences within the colony caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu, and independence was granted in 1978.

The island's economy is mostly based on the fishing industry, with its geographical remoteness restricting all other types of economic development, including the lack of a tourism industry. A significant contributor is the licensing of Tuvalu's .tv internet domain name.

Climate
The climate is tropical. Easterly trade winds moderate the weather from March to November, while westerly gales bring heavy rain from November to March. Cyclones are a regular occurrence each year. The low heights of the islands make them sensitive to sea level changes.

Geography
Tuvalu is located in the Central Pacific and comprises a total of nine islands with a land area of 26 km in its marine ecosystem. In a vast expanse of sea includes its Exclusive Economic Zone with an oceanic area of approximately 900,000 km².

Tourist information
Timeless Tuvalu is the official tourism website.

Get in
Citizens of Schengen Area countries do not need a visa.

Everyone else is eligible for a one-month visa on arrival. This costs A$100, but some nationalities do not have to pay this fee and can get their visa for free. This applies to citizens of American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Korea, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu and Zambia.

By plane
There is one international airport in Tuvalu, on the island of Funafuti. Fiji Airways flies from Suva in Fiji to Funafuti on Tuesday and Thursday. A return trip costs around 948 Fijian Dollars including tax (Aug 2011). (June 2019) Air Kiribati now flies from Tarawa to Funafuti. Price unknown. You'd have to go to their office in Tarawa to ask for the ticket.

By boat
There are cargo and passenger ferries every month or two from Suva, Fiji to Funafuti, but they do not run to a fixed schedule. Enquire at the Tuvalu High Commission in Fiji. The crossing takes about four days.

Get around
There is one main road in Funafuti that does an almost complete loop around the island in addition to the runway, which is used for recreational purposes when landings are not scheduled.

A motorbike is the best way to explore the island, some costing roughly $10 per day, as a car is too wide for the roads in Tuvalu.

The other islands are only accessible by boat from Funafuti.

Talk
English is the language of government and of most business on Funafuti, but Tuvaluan predominates on the outer islands. Samoan and Kiribati, although not the official languages, are spoken as well.

See
Tuvalu is not a destination for those in search of spectacular sightseeing opportunities. The island nation is not only small, it also lacks any city-like destination or architectural heritage. There are no hills or mountain ranges, no rivers or gorges. But it will provide travellers an experience unlike others.

The Funafuti Conservation Area on the western side of the Funafuti atoll has some of the best natural sights, and includes reefs, the gorgeous lagoon, channel, parts of the ocean and island habitats. Its diversity in marine life makes it an excellent place for scuba diving or snorkelling.

The massive stationing of US troops in the Second World War left the island nation with a number of wartime remains, including airstrips, bunkers and plane wrecks along the main island of Fongafale and near the village of Nanumea. The tiny island of Motulalo in Nukufetau has an airstrip too, as well as some plane wrecks. If you have any interest in postal stamps, the Philatelic Bureau on Funafuti is a must-see. The Tuvalu Women's Handicraft Centre at the airport is a good place to see and buy local crafts. If you have time however, try catching a boat to one of the outer islands and admire the local people's skills in making ornaments, fans, mats, baskets or woodcarvings there.

Do
The national game is te ano (the ball). Two teams line up facing each other hitting a ball. The objective is to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. It is similar to volleyball.

Money
The currency of Tuvalu is the Australian dollar (ISO code: AUD), and the currency symbol is $.

Tuvalu has also issued its own coins which are different from the Australian coins and can only be used on Tuvalu. The most common one is the Tuvalu 50-cent coin. The Tuvaluan dollar has a fixed A$1:T$1 rate. However, even within Tuvalu, the Australian dollar is mostly used.

Costs vary, but the costs in Tuvalu are fairly cheap, and much cheaper than most other Pacific countries, with the exception of Kiribati.

There is a handicraft centre and a philatelic bureau on Funafuti.

There are no credit card terminals or ATMs in Tuvalu: everything must be paid for with cash and you must have it on your person before arriving, or have cash to exchange.

Eat
There are many lodges that have restaurants that serve food and beverages. They serve many types of ethnic cuisines such as Chinese, Italian, and Indian. Fish is abundant given its location.

Drink
Bars serve soft drinks and alcohol during meal times.

Learn
Funafuti hosts a University of the South Pacific extension centre. Motufoua, the country's only high school, is a coeducational boarding school on Vaitupu island. The Tuvalu Marine School, on an outer islet of Funafuti, trains Tuvaluan mariners for service on foreign ships.

Work
The non-native work force is mostly comprised of contract employees from Australia and other foreign countries.

Stay safe
A siren signals when to leave the runway for an approaching plane.

Violent crime is rare, and usually involves alcohol and family disputes.

Male homosexuality is illegal in Tuvalu.

Stay healthy
Tap water quality is inconsistent at best; it's often collected from rooftops. Don't drink it without boiling or treating.

Connect
Tuvalu uses the Australia/New Zealand electrical plug with 240 volts and 50 Hz.

The international dialing code is: +688

Local numbers in Tuvalu have 5 digits, with the first 2 representing the islands as follows:
 * Funafuti: 20, 21
 * Nanumaga: 27
 * Nanumea: 26
 * Niulakita: 22
 * Niutao: 28
 * Nui: 23
 * Nukufetau: 24
 * Nukulaelae: 25
 * Vaitupu: 29

There is available a GSM network in 900 MHz, provided by Tuvalu Telecom, with ID: 553-01. (Please review the roaming agreement with your company.)

title: Tuvalu


text:
Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Tuxtla Gutiérrez, usually just called Tuxtla, is the capital of Chiapas, and a busy government, commercial and services-oriented city. It is not a tourist attraction, but normal Mexican city, also acting as a transportation hub for tourists coming into the state due to its major airport and a bus terminal.

Understand
Tuxtla, a tropical city of 700,000 people (2015), is the economic powerhouse and biggest city of Chiapas. It is a transportation hub for the entire region which also hosts one of the main airports of Chiapas. Tuxtla has had one of the fastest growing rates in Mexico since the 1970s. As most of the city was constructed during the boom that began in the 1970s, its quite livable for residents but isn't oriented around tourism. However, its outskirts do hold some locations of interest to visitors, such as the viewpoints over the Cañón del Sumidero just outside town to the north, and the famous ZooMat natural-style zoo, showcasing local wild animal species. Visitors who want a more quaint area can explore nearby Chiapa de Corzo, which does have a colonial downtown area, strong regional traditions, and a 3,000 year history dating back to the Olmecs.

Climate
With its relatively low altitude, the area has a very hot and relatively humid climate. Except for a rainy and dry season (summer-fall and winter-spring respectively) there is little variation in the climate during the year, except between dry season (Oct-Apr) and rainy season (May-Sep). Air conditioning is uncommon as most homes and offices use fans and most rooms and offices open into streets or courtyards, though as of 2024 many hostels and hotels do have it. Most businesses close in the late afternoon from 14:00-16:30 or 17:00 when it can get hot. Although it is not on the coast, it is close enough that hurricanes and tropical storms can affect it at time.

By plane
A taxi to downtown Tuxtla costs US$20. The taxis are part of a taxi cartel put together by the government. You will have to buy a ticket for the taxi in the airport.

Though colectivos do not come up to the airport itself, they pass by it on a road a short walk from the parking lot and cost considerably less than a taxi.

There are several direct buses from the airport to San Cristóbal de las Casas (1 hr 15 min, M$218 as of November 2016.)

Most direct flights go to Mexico City (MEX). Tuxtla is served by Aeromexico, Volaris, and VivaAerobus.

By car

 * From San Cristobal, there is a toll and a toll-free road. The toll road can be a scenic drive while climbing down from San Cristóbal but check in advance whether the road is blocked by protesters during the daytime since you might otherwise spend the entire day waiting for the toll booth at the bottom to open.

By bus

 * From San Cristobal, buses of all kinds go very frequently (1 hr, from M$50,) most of them to the terminal in front of Mercado de los Ancianos. Note that the highway which connects the two cities is very often blocked by groups protesting. Usually, the old toll-free road is still serviced by a few buses then but takes substantially longer. It is best to ask in advance whether any bloqueos are expected if you plan on catching a flight in Tuxtla. OCC buses from the big bus terminal at Plaza Sol are similarly-priced to the local transport and may be more comfortable (more reliably air-conditioned).

By taxi
As in most Mexican cities, taxis are readily available, and cheap by North American or European standards.

By colectivo
The city has an extensive network of "colectivos" (white vans acting as buses) that run fixed routes, generally stopping only at designated stops marked by street pullouts and/or bus-shelter canopies, which are located every two or three blocks. As of April 2024, they seem to all cost 8 pesos per ride. Though the system is complex, it can be quite easy to use once you get the hang of it. Every colectivo is associated with a route number, marked on the outside as "Ruta ___", not to be confused with the often larger, longer operator registration number. You can look up the exact path of any numbered route on the Tuxmapa website, with the outbound path marked in green and the inbound in purple if they're different. The map doesn't show the exact locations of the stops, but they're usually easy to find. To figure out which routes go where you want (without looking through them one by one on the map), just as a local which route number goes where you want to go. They'll often be able to name a few off the top of their head. When you want to get off, say "La parada, por favor" for the driver to drop you at the next designated stop.

By bus
Avenida Central (which cuts through the city from west to east) and some other major roads may be serviced by the faster conejobus (not verified recently).

Buy
Things in Tuxtla are very reasonably cheap and affordable in the fact that it was set for the poor living standards of the indigenous that live there. Despite that, it is a very modern city with lots to do and see. There are plenty of shopping malls to shop in and items are very cheap.

Eat

 * Mole — A type of sauce from the south. Ordering a 'mole' will normally get you chicken and rice smothered in this sauce, sometimes tortillas are served underneath, sometimes they're given separate.

Budget
All these are in the city center:

Drink

 * Pozol — A choclate/maize drink typical to Chiapas, not to be confused with Pozole, a type of stew/soup from further north.

Sleep
Some fair accommodations to be had here as well as in Chiapa de Corzo just to the southeast which lies along the Rio Grijalva.

Go next

 * Chiapa de Corzo - Colonial town, where boat access to Cañón del Sumidero is, also the castle on the Chiapas crest.
 * Palenque - Ancient city, about 6 hours away, close to the Agua Azul and Misol Ha waterfalls
 * Bonampak - Ancient city famous for its colorful murals
 * Comitán - Charming colonial city, about 3 hours away, go here to get to the Lagunas de Montebello National Park
 * San Cristóbal de las Casas - Beautiful colonial city with lots of indigenous artisanship. Lots of foreigners and nice cafés.
 * San Juan Chamula - 10 km from San Cristóbal, a Tsotsil indigenous village.
 * Campeche - 11 hours away by bus.
 * La Realidad - A Zapatista caracol or autonomous village, can be difficult to get to. Zapatista buses leave from Las Margaritas every day at 7am.
 * Tapachula - City about five hours from Tuxtla, go here to get buses to Guatemala City.

title: Tuxtla Gutiérrez


text:
Tui

Tui is a town of 17,000 people (2018) in Galicia on the right bank of the Miño River, facing the Portuguese town of Valença. Its medieval city is the second largest by area in Galicia.

Understand
Tui is the spelling in Galician and Portuguese. The Castilian Spanish spelling is Tuy.

Get in
Bus from Vigo to A Guarda.

Two bridges connect Tui and Valença: Tui International Bridge (known in Portugal as Valença International Bridge), completed in 1878, and a modern one from the 1990s. Both countries are signatories of the Schengen Treaty, so there are normally no formalities in crossing the border-point with Northern Portugal.

Train: Tui station only serves trains from Vigo into Portugal; not into the rest of Spain.

Get around
Almost everything in Tui is a 10-minute walk away. Otherwise, you should rent or have a car to move.

See
The town centre is near the Inn of San Telmo.

On the top of the hill, the fortified cathedral (11th–13th century) preserves Romanesque elements in its main vestibule, and the Gothic period in the western vestibule.

The town has two museums, one dedicated to archaeology and sacred art, and the other is the diocesan museum.

The natural park Monte Aloia, 10 minutes away by car.

The fluvial beaches in Guillarei and Caldelas.

The Alameda park and Mariña promenade, which are linked to each other.

The Corredoira.

Do
Tui is a great town to just have a relaxing stroll. There's plenty of things to see, from museums to the cathedral. It's is a really good centre for seeing Pontevedra Province of Galicia and the Minho province of Portugal.

Eat
If you want tapas, O Alboio, facing the main entry of the cathedral, is the best place to go. Albeit a bit pricey (for local standards) the quality of the food is top notch.

If you want a serious, and pricey, meal, the Silabario is a restaurant which had a Michelin star.

If you are visiting the natural park Monte Aloia, there's a restaurant near the summit. The quality of the food is great, and the prices reasonable.

Drink
There are plenty of pubs and clubs in the town. The clubs remain open until 06:00 in many cases, so you'll have plenty of time to socialize.

Go next

 * Tui is a common starting point for walking the Portuguese Way of the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. Get a pilgrim's passport and a stamp on it before commencing the pilgrimage.

title: Tui


text:
Tuzi

Tuzi is a small town located about 10km outside of Podgorica populated by Ethnic Albanians and Bosniaks. It has nothing particular of interest except for the fact that if you are traveling from Montenegro to Albania from Podgorica or vice-versa you'll have to take a bus to this town and make a fairly difficult transfer to some other form of transport.

Get in
To get to Tuzi you will need to take a bus from Podgorica. To find the buses in Podgorica you will have to ask around, they are about 400 m from Ulica Sloboda. Ask any young person and they should be able to help you. The taxi guys will want to charge you €10 to take you there. You can get there on a combi bus for about €2.

Get around
Buses number 41/42 go there from a bus stop in front of main bus station. Ticket is 1 euro.

See

 * About 10km out of Tuzi and towards Podgorica there is a wonderful stream that has cut a deep (30 m) canyon into the flat plains that Podgorica and Tuzi lie on. A clever entrepreneur then dammed a small section of this up to make a swimming resort and built a restaurant. This "resort" is located on the way to Tuzi, if you ask the combi driver he can drop you off at the entrance.

Do

 * Football: FK Dečić play soccer in First League, the top tier. Their home ground Stadion Tuško Polje (capacity 2000) is central in town.
 * Sadar Lake (Lqeni i shkoders) is just 7 km away. There are picnic places, fishing, and bird shooting places.
 * In Tuzi is also one of the biggest markets which is open air and have different products from Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, China, etc. It is open until 2PM.

Sleep

 * Hotel Liria in the center. Dine inside or outside in their gazebo dining hall while you're here. Good for sleeping.

Go next

 * Albania - To get to Albania you'll have to go and wait on the outskirts of the town on the road to the border. The best thing to do will be to find either a combi or pay a person who stops €5/person to take you to Skadar.

title: Tuzi


text:
Tuzla

Tuzla is the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in one of the most important industrial Bosnian regions. The city was hardly directly targeted by the war, except for an incident near the end of the war, when 72 people were killed by a shell fired into the Old Town during the evening. Nowadays, the city’s economy is still predominantly based around industry, although there has been significant development in tourism in the 21st century.

Get in
Travelling to Tuzla is easy from the south, less so from the Republika Srpska or Serbia. Do not trust the bus timetable on the black board in the main bus station, as these times were universally inaccurate!

From Sarajevo
There are many buses (first M-F at 09:30, Sa Su at 10:00, last at 18:50 - 1-2 per hour) from Sarajevo to Tuzla. Also there are buses (first at 04:00, last at 18:00- 1-2 per hour) from Tuzla to Sarajevo. One-way ticket costs 13-20 BAM (depends on bus company) and journey takes 3 hours.

From Mostar
There are three buses (04:45, 06:30, 16:00) from Mostar to Tuzla. Also there are buses (08:00, 09:30) from Tuzla to Mostar. One-way ticket costs approx. 36 BAM and journey takes 5½ hours.

From Osijek
There are two buses (06:30 and 13:30) from Osijek to Tuzla. Also there are buses (06:00 and 13:00) from Tuzla to Osijek. Journey takes 3½ hours. Schedule is available here.

From Split
There is one bus (07:00) from Split to Tuzla. Also there are buses (05:30 and 08:00) from Tuzla to Split. Schedule is available here. Journey takes 9 hours.

Other destinations
To travel from Banja Luka, change at Doboj. There are two daily services to Bijeljina, where there are connections to other destinations in RS such as Višegrad, as well as Serbia and Montenegro. There are direct buses from Belgrade. A journey takes four hours, running three times a day.

From or to Sarajevo, Croatia, Slovenia or Germany you can use the Salinea-bus company - not all buses are listed on that website.

By train
Trains to Tuzla are slow and quite infrequent, extensive damage to rail infrastructure during the conflict in Bosnia and Hercegovina in the 1990s is mainly to blame but also financial constraints. However, the national operator ZFBH still manages to run trains from Doboj, where there are connections with Sarajevo.

By plane

 * The easiest and fastest way to get to city center is by taxi. Taxis from airport to Tuzla city center costs 30 BAM. In opposite direction taxi costs 15-20 BAM.
 * There is a public bus no. 11 operating almost every hour between Dubrave and Tuzla. Schedule is available here (page 31) . If you travelling from airport you can catch this bus on bus stop (you have to walk 800 meters to main road and then turn right for another 200 meters). Bus shall be here approx. 31 minutes after departure from Kalesija - Povratak column in schedule. If you travelling to the airport the best option is to catch this bus in front of bus station on  bus stop (bus shall be here approx. 22 minutes after departure from Tuzla AS "Istok" - Polazak column in schedule) or closer to city center on  bus stop (bus shall be here approx. 17 minutes after departure from Tuzla AS "Istok" - Polazak column in schedule). Ticket from driver cost 2 BAM. Travel between Tuzla and airport takes approx. 30 minutes.
 * There is a public bus no. 11 operating almost every hour between Dubrave and Tuzla. Schedule is available here (page 31) . If you travelling from airport you can catch this bus on bus stop (you have to walk 800 meters to main road and then turn right for another 200 meters). Bus shall be here approx. 31 minutes after departure from Kalesija - Povratak column in schedule. If you travelling to the airport the best option is to catch this bus in front of bus station on  bus stop (bus shall be here approx. 22 minutes after departure from Tuzla AS "Istok" - Polazak column in schedule) or closer to city center on  bus stop (bus shall be here approx. 17 minutes after departure from Tuzla AS "Istok" - Polazak column in schedule). Ticket from driver cost 2 BAM. Travel between Tuzla and airport takes approx. 30 minutes.

See

Bosnia has beautiful countryside. The best place to travel is to Osman's old house. It is wonderful.

The first place to visit is the square at the center of the old town. This is the site of the Tuzla Massacre, where 72 young people were killed in 1995. Ask a local to translate the poem carved into the monument. Then walk over to the park where the 72 young people are buried. The old town is very nice and the park is very beautiful.

You should also visit the Pannonica Lakes, whose water is directly supplied from the local wells of salt water. Tuzla's salt has been exploited for centuries and you should visit the Salt square dedicated to this aspect of Tuzla's history.

If you are interested in art, visit some of Tuzla's beautiful art galleries. If you are interested in history, you should see the model of ancient village set near the Pannonica.

Buy
Locally produced wicker craft like baskets or furniture.

Eat
All the usual Bosnian dishes are available throughout the town, but international cuisine does not have a high presence. There are also many traditional Bosnian fast food restaurants where you can eat cevapi prepared differently than in Sarajevo.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:

Drink
The Old Town has numerous cafes and bars.

Go next
Buses run very regularly to Lukavac, about 20 minutes away. From here, a ten minute taxi takes you to Lake Modrac, a large lake with a few restaurants. Due to industrial pollution, however, it is not safe to swim in the lake.

A more promising destination is Lake Bistarac. Take a local bus for Lukavac, and get off just before the town. Up a hill lies a clean freshwater lake. There is a minimal entry charge, with a small extra charge for use of the slide into the lake. Stalls and a restaurant serve food.

Kladanj, about 90 minutes away by bus towards Sarajevo, is a small, attractive town with many little restaurants, and small ski-resort nearby.

 * Doboj renovated medieval fortress, about 1½ hours by train.

title: Tuzla


text:
Tuzla (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Tuzla:

Bosnia and Herzegovina

 * Tuzla — the 3rd largest city in Bosnia and Herzergovina.

Romania

 * Tuzla (Romania) — a beach village near Constanta in the Dobrogea region.

Turkey

 * Tuzla — the easternmost district of Istanbul; see Istanbul/Asian Side.

title: Tuzla (disambiguation)