Island-Sity

From snorkelling, diving and an array of water sports to bushwalking and camel treks, Great Keppel Island has something for everyone.The resort itself offers great facilities including a pool, a small shop, numerous accommodation types and various restaurants. Mercure Resort Great Keppel is a great holiday for friends, romantics and especially families.

In Fiordland rainfall amounts may not quite reach warning criteria and a watch continues. People in all these areas are advised that streams and rivers are likely to rise quickly. There could be slips in hilly areas and surface flooding on some roads.

Heavy rain is also forecast for the Richmond Range, Marlborough Sounds, Tararua Ranges and Mt Taranaki from late tomorrow until early Friday. Metservice advised people in these areas to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and plan accordingly as streams and rivers are likely to rise quickly. There could be slips in hilly areas and surface flooding on some roads.

Environment Canada meteorologist Louis Kohanyi said another 25-to-40 millimetres of rain was expected — making this likely the rainiest September in history for that area. “Port Hardy has received 178 millimetres of rain in the last 48 hours,” Kohanyi said Sunday evening. “We’re expecting the rain to arrive Sunday night. It’s definitely going to be a problem.”

Swollen rivers have devastated communities on Northern Vancouver Island and on the central coast portion of the mainland, with close to record September rainfalls in the region. Port Hardy, for one, is poised for a rainfall record. The rainiest September on record is 2004, when 260.4 mm fell. As of 6 p.m. Sunday, the community had already received 252.9 mm, with more rain on the way.

“It’s likely that we’ll have a rainfall record in Port Hardy,” said Kohanyi.

The official forecast calls for an additional 10 to 15 mm to fall Sunday night, with another 15 to 25 mm predicted for Monday.

The states of emergency that had been declared in Port Hardy and Port Alice were lifted Saturday night as the rain relented for a while.

On the mainland, meanwhile, Highway 20 was washed out in both directions 20 kilometres east of Bella Coola, effectively cutting off the town by road. Residents reported major flooding.

Rain was continuing to fall in remote Kingcome Inlet Sunday evening as the handful of people remaining in the central B.C. coast village wondered whether the community could withstand another flood.

Houses shifted off stilts, septic tanks flooded, heavy machinery was dunked underwater and steps and porches swept away Saturday when the Kingcome River swept into the community.

During the weekend about 80 people were evacuated by helicopter from the Central Coast reserve — the home of Dzawada’enuxw First Nation — and taken to Alert Bay, where most are staying with friends or relatives.

But 17 people chose to stay in Kingcome Inlet.

“We stayed because we’re looking after things,” said band administrator Roberta Smith.

The water had dropped by Sunday afternoon, but rain picked up again in the evening.

“We’re expecting our second deluge. We don’t know what that means in terms of flooding because we’ve never had seven or eight feet of water coming at us before and we’ve never had back-to-back floods,” Smith said.

Kingcome Inlet is used to smaller floods, which is why reserve homes are on three metre stilts, but Smith and other band members said the difference this time was the speed at which the water rose.

“It was very scary because it rose so fast. It’s usually not that swift,” Smith said.

Community members are pointing to years of clear-cut logging along the river, which they say has led to erosion and logjams that give way unexpectedly.

“And there’s climate change. We had never seen it rain like that for so many hours. It just came down in buckets,” said band chairman Joey Willie.

“The river was coming up and then the tide came in and kicked it over the bank,” he said.

Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs secretary treasurer Chief Bob Chamberlin of the Kwicksutaineuk Ah-kwa-mish First Nation, who has family in Kingcome and is a former band manager, said as soon as the water recedes, assessors must go in to the community to look at safety.

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada should then look at intensive riprapping above the village and consider building an access road from the head of the inlet to the village — something that has been requested for decades as a safety measure, but which draws objections because it would grizzly bear and duck habitat, Chamberlin said.

Usually community members can run boats up the river from the head of the inlet, but it is too dangerous during floods, meaning everyone has to be evacuated by helicopter.

It is also a post-flood problem as boat owners have to figure out the location of new snags and piles of debris in the river, Smith said.

Access is one of the many hurdles that will face community members as they try to repair the damage.

Dawn Nicolson of Port Hardy, whose 73-year-old mother was among the evacuees, was wondering where a cleanup should start.

“The houses are built on stilts. My mother’s house has no steps and the back porch has flipped up and then there’s water damage. We will need a ladder to get in and that’s just looking at the logistics of that one house,” said Nicolson, former principal of Kingcome Inlet school.

Getting equipment into the community will be hugely complicated and then there are challenges such as spotty power supply from diesel generators, contaminated water, disposal of wrecked household goods when all garbage has to be barged out, and places for workers to stay while repairs are being done, Nicolson said.

“It is mind-boggling,” she said.

In the longer term, people will not consider leaving the community where their ancestors have lived for hundreds of years, so better monitoring of the river should be part of the answer, Nicolson said.

“We need a helicopter to monitor the valley.”

When Kingcome residents arrived in Alert Bay, appeals went out to all Alert Bay residents to bring food and clothing to the recreation centre as most evacuees left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

The response was generous, Willie said.

“Everyone’s doing great, but they’re all pretty shaken up and wondering about their homes. They don’t know what they’ll be going back to,” he said.

The weather forecast for the central Coast and northern Vancouver Island is rain, at times heavy, for the next two days.

The arrest on September 8 of the Chinese skipper, whose vessel rammed Japanese patrol boats in disputed waters near the island chain in the East China Sea -- known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China -- sparked a diplomatic row between the two Asian giants.

Japan announced Friday it would free the trawlerman but said the decision was made solely by prosecutors, insisting the island chain belongs to Tokyo.

Japanese prosecutors cited the deepening rift between Beijing and Tokyo in their decision to release the skipper.

The Japanese government has faced accusations that it caved in to bullying by China over the decision to release the captain, Zhan Qixiong, who arrived home Saturday morning.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Kan said Saturday there had been no political interference in prosecutors' move to free him.

After the unofficial vote was announced, Gaughan congratulated town residents for turning out to consider the proposition, calling the vote "a magnificent exercise in democracy."Gaughan said he did not feel as if he lost Thursday. "I continue to believe in the importance of letting people, not politicians, decide the size and cost of their government," he said.

Gaughan said Grand Island taxpayers would have saved $75,000 a year by eliminating two seats on the board. McMahon described the savings as 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $10 on a property assessed at $100,000.

Town officials voiced concerns about a concentration of power and the potential for corruption; a meeting of two members would constitute a quorum, and business could be conducted. In addition, there would have been implications for properly conducting business under the state's Open Meetings Law.

Voting began at 6 a.m. Thursday, and Gaughan made his first visit to the fire hall a couple of hours later.

"He's been cheered and booed," reported Town Clerk Patricia A. Frentzel, who said she had received at least a dozen complaints from residents about his presence there.

"People are calling me [asking], 'Why is he out there on the parking lot,'" Frentzel related. "That bothered people, and they wanted to make sure that he was allowed to."

Mark Webb, who said he had lived on the island for 21 years, was holding a sign that said simply "No" outside the polling place. Asked why, he said, "Because Kevin Gaughan has spread a cancer in our community. Today, Grand Island needs to stand up for reason in the face of folly."

Jeffrey Eberhard was among the volunteers who circulated the petitions to force Thursday's vote, and he was among the people who voted for downsizing.

"I believe that the cost of the government bureaucracy is excessive, and it needs to be trimmed," he said.

The downsizing campaign started in April. Beginning in early June, a team of 10 resident volunteers collected more than 1,000 signatures to get the proposition on the ballot. The required minimum number of valid signatures was 343, representing 5 percent of town voters to cast ballots in the last gubernatorial election.

Last year, downsizing propositions were approved by residents in five towns of varying population: Alden (10,287), Evans (16,822), Hamburg (55,989), Orchard Park (28,607) and West Seneca (43,753). The smallest margin of approval -- just 32 votes -- came from residents of Alden, the least-populated.

Erie County's dwindling population has been among Gaughan's arguments for downsizing local governments. But Grand Island's population -- estimated at 19,025 in 2009 -- actually represents an increase of 2.2 percent from the 2000 census.

In the towns where downsizing was approved last year, it has kicked in only in Evans and West Seneca. The effective date elsewhere is Jan. 1, 2012.

Despite his winning record in reducing the size of town governments, Gaughan has not had success in his campaigns to abolish village governments.

Last month, proposals were resoundingly defeated by residents of Sloan and Williamsville, where the votes against represented 81 percent and 83 percent, respectively, of total ballots cast. Residents of Farnham, population 311, vote Tuesday on a proposition to abolish their village government.

He said the severe weather was forecast to ease later today. "We expect to restore power to the majority of affected customers by the end of the day barring further damage to the network."

Nearly 80,000 households across the area have been affected by weather-related power cuts since Friday.

Further south, predicted snowfall for Southland did not come overnight giving the hard-hit region another day of recovery.

Farm lobby group Federated Farmers said yesterday the spring storm in Southland looked likely to cause the agricultural sector greater economic losses than the Canterbury earthquake. Tens of thousands of lambs had died over the past five days.

A JCG patrol vessel came across a Chinese fishing boat in Japanese-claimed territorial waters on the morning of Sept. 7.

After being warned to leave the area, the boat and JCG patrol ship Yonakuni collided. No details have yet been released as to who or what caused the collision. The Yonakuni then ordered the trawler to stop for inspection, which the Chinese captain refused, according to a JCG representative.

Later that morning, another JCG patrol ship, the Mizuki, was chasing the fishing boat to conduct an onboard inspection near Kuba Island when another collision occurred.

The Chinese captain, Zhan Qixiong, 41, was arrested the next day on suspicion of obstructing the public duties of coast guard personnel.

Japanese authorities are also looking into whether the captain engaged in unlawful fishing.

What is China's position on the collision?

In 1992, China enacted a territorial waters law that included the islands as part of its territory. Therefore, the application of any Japanese law in the area is unacceptable for Beijing.

From the beginning, the Chinese government has demanded that Japan release the captain, calling the arrest "illegal and invalid."

"We demand that the Japanese side immediately let the Chinese captain return unconditionally," Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Ma Zhaoxu said on the ministry's official website earlier this week. "If the Japanese side clings obstinately to its own course and doubles its mistakes, China will take strong countermeasures, for which Japan shall bear all the consequences."

What about the fishing boat captain?

The captain is being detained at the Ishigaki branch of the Naha District Public Prosecutor's Office. On Sunday, the Ishigaki Summary Court in Okinawa Prefecture gave prosecutors permission to extend Zhan's detention for another 10 days, until Sept. 29.

Beijing reacted immediately, suspending ministerial and higher-level exchanges with Japan.

Where are the islands?

The uninhabited islands are in the East China Sea. They occupy an area of only 7 sq. km, spread over what Japan calls Uotsuri, Kuba, Minami Kojima and other small islands about 170 km from both Taiwan and Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture.

The islands are under the administrative control of the Japanese government, which calls them the Senkaku Islands. China and Taiwan have both been claiming sovereignty since the 1970s. They call them the Diaoyu in China and the Tiaoyutai in Taiwan. They are often the source of diplomatic tension.

What is Japan's view of the dispute?

In 1885, during the Sino-Japanese War, Japan stated that it had conducted surveys that confirmed the islands were uninhabited and "showed no trace of having been under the control of China's Qing empire," the Foreign Ministry says on its website. In 1895, the Japanese government officially incorporated the territory as a part of Japan, and the islands became a part of Japan's southern archipelago, known as the Nanto Shoto. For the next four decades, small numbers of Japanese lived on the islands, building wharves and factories for processing dried bonito. The islets were later deserted in 1940.

After the war, the Nanto Shoto, including Okinawa and the Senkaku Islands, were captured by the United States and controlled under the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Okinawa was later returned to Japan in 1971. However, this agreement only ceded control of the disputed Senkaku Islands and did not directly determine sovereignty, argue China and Taiwan.

"There is no territorial dispute in the East China Sea," newly appointed Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said. "The Senkaku Islands are an integral part of Japan's sovereign territory."

When and why did China and Taiwan begin to claim sovereignty over the islands?

Over the last 75 years, the two governments have held undefined positions on the Senkakus. The islands were handed over in an "unequal treaty" to Japan after China lost the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895.

In 1968 the United Nations Economic Commission for the Asia and the Far East reported potential oil reserves in the waters off the Senkakus. Both China and Taiwan officially declared sovereignty over the islands in 1971.

Haven't similar incidents occurred in Japan's territorial waters?

Yes. Japan Coast Guard Commandant Hisayasu Suzuki recently told a Diet committee that the JCG has conducted 21 inspections on foreign ships entering Japan's official territorial waters this year alone.

A similar situation occurred in 2004, when seven Chinese protesters were arrested for landing on one of the islands. The Japanese government, led by then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, deported the protesters to China.

China might expect the fishing boat captain to get similar treatment, given the nature of the dispute. But this time, this incident is being dealt with by prosecutors, not politicians.

How is Japan's security partner, the United States, responding to this incident?

In August, U.S. State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley told a news conference that the Japan-U.S. security alliance covers the Senkaku Islands. The treaty obliges the U.S. to defend Japan against an armed attack by another country.

But Crowley also has said that the U.S. has not taken any sides on the issue of sovereignty or the diplomatic row surrounding the collision, urging Japan and China to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.

"The Senkaku Islands have been under the administrative control of the government of Japan since they were returned as part of the reversion of Okinawa in 1972. Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security states that the treaty applies to the territories under the administration of Japan," he said in August.

At a separate news conference on Sept. 13, Crowley also said: "On this narrow issue, we hope that would be resolved peacefully through dialogue between China and Japan. "But the U.S.-Japanese alliance is a cornerstone of security and stability across Asia, and that security and stability benefits Japan."

The first two islands will comprise approximately 100 million cubic meters of rock and sand. Palm Deira will be composed of approximately 1 billion cubic meters of rock and sand. All materials will be quarried in the UAE. Between the three islands there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas.
The creation of The Palm Jumeirah began in June 2001. Shortly after, The Palm Jebel Ali was announced and reclamation work began. In 2004, The Palm Deira, which will be almost as large in size as Paris, was announced. Palm Jumeirah is currently open for development. Construction will be completed over the next 10-15 years.

Construction
The Palm islands are technically artificial peninsulas constructed of sand dredged from the bottom of the Persian Gulf. The sand is sprayed by the dredging ships, which are guided by GPS, onto the required area in a process known as rainbowing. The outer edge of each Palm's encircling crescent is a large rock breakwater. The breakwater of the Palm Jumeirah has over 7 million tons of rock. Each rock was placed individually by a crane, signed off by a diver and given a GPS coordinate.

The Palm, Jebel Ali
The Palm, Jebel Ali began construction in October 2002 and is expected to be completed in mid 2008. Once it has been completed it will be encircled by the Dubai Waterfront project. The project, which will be 50 percent larger than the Palm Jumeriah, will include six marinas, a water theme park, 'Sea Village', homes built on stilts above the water, and boardwalks that circle the "fronds" of the "palm" and spell out an Arabic poem by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum:
Take wisdom from the wise
It takes a man of vision to write on water
Not everyone who rides a horse is a jockey
Great men rise to greater challenges

Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah consists of a trunk, a crown with 17 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that forms an 11 kilometer-long breakwater. The island itself is 5 kilometers by 5 kilometers. Each square meter will be sold at around 1 dirham. It will add 78 kilometers to the Dubai coastline. The first phase of development on the Palm Jumeirah will create 4,000 residences with a combination of villas and apartments over the next 3 to 4 years. Residents will begin moving into their Palm Jumeirah properties by the end of 2006, five years after land reclamation began, according to project developer Nakheel Properties. This will signal the end of phase one of construction, which includes approximately 1,400 villas on 11 of the fronds of the island and roughly 2,500 shoreline apartments in 20 buildings on the east side of the trunk. Nakheel Properties will mark the arrival of the first residents by bringing one of the world's largest airships to Dubai. It has agreed to a deal with Airship Management Services Inc for a 197 feet long, 250,000 cubic foot Skyship 600 dirigible. According to Nakheel Properties officials, the process of adding 78 kilometers of beach is under way, while eight of the 32 hotels on The Palm Jumeirah have begun construction, including the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, which is planned for completion in late 2008 or early 2009. The first phase of Atlantis, The Palm, is scheduled to be completed by December 2008. The "Golden Mile", the strip of land located along the center of the trunk overlooking the canal, is set for completion in the first quarter of 2008. Construction has also begun on the Palm Monorail, which will take three years to complete and will serve as a transit system between the Gateway Station at the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis Station on the crescent. (Emirates News Agency, WAM) On the Palm, construction workers have had to strengthen the sand base after a number of properties fell into the sea. The 2006 England FIFA World Cup team have each been offered a property on the Palm with a 30% discount, but even though many of them earn over £100,000 a week they have not yet paid for their properties.

The Palm, Deira
The Palm Deira was announced for development on October 2004 and completion is expected in 2015, when it will become the largest of the three Palm Islands with 41 fronds.[2][1] It will cover an area greater than Paris.[citation needed] Projections indicate that construction will consume over a billion cubic meters of rock and sand.[citation needed] According to the company Ten Real Estate, "The Palm Deira will cover 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in length and 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) in width and have an area of 80 square kilometers (861 million square feet). It will consist of residential property, marinas, shopping malls, sports facilities, and clubs. The residential area will be located on the fronds and will contain 8,000 two-story town houses in three distinct styles - Premier Villas, Grand Villas and Vista Town Homes"

High surf kicked up by the storm has already swept two people out to sea in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, far to the south.

Several people in the Bahamas stared mesmerized at the 12- to 15-foot waves, including Peter Mills, 44, who took his wife and two children to John Smith's Bay Park to watch.

"It's absolutely spectacular, but it's probably going to be absolutely horrifying come the next couple of days," Mills said.In Mexico, meanwhile, the remnants of Hurricane Karl soaked south-central portions of the country as authorities sent helicopters to rescue scores of people stranded by flooding and hunt for others feared washed away.

At least five fatalities were reported: a 61-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl killed when a landslide buried a house in the town of Nexticapan in Puebla state, and a woman and two young children swept away by a rushing river in Cotaxtla, Veracruz state.

Tropical-storm-force winds were forecast to start battering Bermuda Saturday night, with the hurricane expected to pass directly overhead or nearby late Sunday or early Monday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Around midday, Igor had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and was located about 360 miles south of Bermuda. It was headed north-northwest and expected to curve toward the British Atlantic territory.

The Fire Service was busy with weather-related callouts, generally minor damage such as trees falling across roads. State Highway 1 at Rangiriri in the north Waikato was down to one lane due to fallen tree tonight. Auckland International Airport recorded gusts up to 100kmh, and more remote northern areas had been buffeted by much higher gusts as the rough weather hit the north tonight. Winds had reached hurricane force at Manukau Heads, a farming community west of Auckland Airport, WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said. Gusts peaked at 154kmh.

"The Manukau Heads is a bit of wind tunnel, but hurricane force winds were recorded there for 15 minutes as the squall rolled through around 6.20 this evening," Mr Duncan said. Thunderstorms and squalls would continue tonight. People planning to visit west coast beaches in the Auckland region were advised to check weather warnings before venturing out this weekend. "We're expecting large swells as a result of the MetService severe weather warning, so people need to take care as unpredictable wave surges may come through," said Muriwai Regional Park manager Scott De Silva. The MetService forecast a 6m swell off the North Island's west coast.

There were more than 100 lightning strikes in the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa region today, setting fire to a shed and trees. The Fire Service said it extinguished the shed fire in Lower Hutt just after midday. About 3600 residents throughout the Hutt Valley lost power after two lightning strikes hit power substations in both areas, Wellington Electricity Lines spokesman Ryan Auger told NZPA. Power was restored to the last houses about 5.20pm. Downed powerlines were possible given the severe storm warning, Mr Auger said. He advised people to stay away, "always assume that they are live", and call the lines company on 0800 248 148.

Severe weather forecaster Paul Mallinson said tornadoes would most likely occur in coastal areas, but inland areas were not immune. Snow was expected in the North Island's central high country overnight. Thunderstorms and snow were also expected to continue in the South Island, with particularly heavy snowfalls south of Mt Cook. A heavy rain warning remained in place for Fiordland, the ranges of Westland south of Otira, and the headwaters of Canterbury and Otago rivers.

"He'll have to run the race of his life to win a Metropolitan, but we need to be running in those races and have competitive runners and he'll probably be our sole runner in the race.

"He'll run on Saturday at weight-for-age in the Hill Stakes and if he happened to win that race he wouldn't be open to a penalty, and then gets into the Metropolitan with 53 kilos which is one above the minimum weight."

The imported galloper is in a rich vein of form winning his past four starts including a strong victory in the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) at his most recent start.

Hawk Island is currently a $21 chance for the Metropolitan with TAB Sportsbet with Herculian Prince the $4.40 favourite.

"He won't get another chance at a Group One, he's nominated, we've come this far, let's try and get the full distance," Waller said.

The Group Two Hill Stakes has attracted a field of nine with Hawk Island joining stablemate Triple Honour in the race along with Sydney Cup winner Jessicabeel and the Peter Snowden-trained dual Group One winner Purple.

To celebrate the addition of this very exclusive resort to the iHaveNotBeenThere portfolio, the boutique travel agency offers a special luxury travel experience for the fall and holiday season.

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Once you’ve had a chance to take in this pulsating hub of excitement, fly to the Maldives and experience the peaceful serenity of one of the most beautiful places on earth. The Maldivesattracts visitors from all over the world. The myriad of tiny coral islands and a tolls looklike they have come from a postcard. The white sandy beaches and crystal clear ocean will beckon you.

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The unique landscape of the Cyclades islands makes the most beautiful contradiction. The rocks that mirrors on the blue crystal waters, the small white houses scattered all around, the sandy beaches, the bright blue sky above: It's a warm and hospitable place.

HISTORY OF THE ISLANDS

The complex of the Cyclades islands has a history of thousands of years.
Due to their position into the center of the known world of the prehistoric and ancient years, the Cyclades islands where a station for merchandisers and sailors. This gave a boost to the economic and cultural life of the islands.

According to the myth, Cyclades where named after the nymphs Cyclades who Poseidon, the god of the sea transformed into rocks because they caused his anger. A different version is that they where named like this because they form a natural circle around the island of Delos the sacred island of Apollo. (From the greek word "cyclos", which means "cycle").

The Cycladic civilization is parted in three periods during prehistoric period, the first Cycladic period (3200-2000B.C.), the middle Cycladic period (2000-1550B.C.) and the late Cycladic period (1550-1100B.C.).

During the historic times (1100B.C. - 500B.C.) there was a great flourish in economy and culture with Delos playing the most important role.

During the times of Macedonian and Roman domination (500B.C. - 300B.C.) the islands passed to the domination of Fillip the 2nd, king of Macedonia and then to his son Alexander the great. After the fall of Macedonia the Romans dominated, bringing the decay to all of the islands with only exception Delos which kept flourishing.
During the Byzantine period and the middle ages (300B.C.-1537B.C.) the islands belonged to the Byzantine Empire until 1204 when Konstantinoupolis the capital of Byzantium fell to the Franks. After that and until 1537 the islands where ruled by the Franks. On 1538 the great Pirate Barbarosa, looted the islands and this caused the desolation of some of the islands.

Until 1617 Cyclades decayed and gradually fell under the domination of the Turks. On 1821 they participated on the rebellion of the Greeks against the Turks and contributed to the liberation of Greece.

The complex is consisted of 34 islands from which 23 are being habited.
Each island has a history of his own and apart from the common characteristics, differ in style and aura making each and every one of the islands worth visiting and finding out the unique characteristics and special feeling they have.

The islands have differences in the way they have evolved. The bigger islands, by being centers of commerce, navigation and more recently tourism centers, are cosmopolitan and crowded, especially during summer period.

Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and Santorini can host even the most demanding and cosmopolitan visitors, having followed the needs of modern times in facilities and entertainment, keeping at the same time the unique features of the complex.
Islands like Amorgos, Sifnos, Andros and Milos are following the steps of evolution, having made great steps in tourist facilities the past years, being like this great tourist destinations as well.

For the ones that whish for something original and outstanding, islands like Anafi, Sikinos, Folegandros and the small Cyclades will fill with magic and reveal the authentic aura of the Cyclades, away from the modern civilization, beyond time.

The best way to enjoy the complex is a small tour to some of the islands according to the needs that everyone wants to fulfill. There is a fully organized navigation network with modern ships with hourly schedules from the ports of Athens to the islands and connecting the islands. Visitors just have to choose which destinations they want to visit. Start with a visit to the capital, Syros and a walk at Ermoupolis with the picturesque alleys, a village with a unique mix in Catholic and Orthodox culture spreading onto two hills. After that, a night at Mykonos letting the senses rule until the morning light. Continue on a cosmopolitan beach of Paros or Naxos. Start a quest on the Paths of Amorgos ending at the monastery of Santa Anna with the grand blue just under the cliff, enjoy the sun at the isolated beach of Roukounas at Anafi and finally take a walk at the castle of Sifnos during sunset where you can literally listen to the Aegean sea breathing!

Some things cannot be measured, cannot be described. If you want to understand the aura of the Cyclades complex, come and see for yourself, magic will overcome you once you enter the complex and from then on the Cyclades islands will be a synonym of joy of life, just let Poseidon, Apollo and Aphrodite take you into their arms.

Will claims checks ever come?

A July story by Bloomberg, however, notes that it's not clear that hotels and other businesses hurt by the decline in tourism will be eligible for claims.

"Feinberg, whom President Obama appointed to handle claims, told the House Small Business Committee in Washington that determining whether to pay businesses and individuals that didn't suffer direct damage is among the most difficult issues he faces," Bloomberg reported on July 1.

Tourism officials and those who make their living from tourism have said that the spill has reduced tourism and cost businesses billions of dollars, the Bloomberg story says.

Anxiety grows for hoteliers

Meanwhile, hoteliers are getting more and more nervous as fall approaches. "September and October are your slow season, but we're at a breaking point," said Desiree' Buhelos, owner of the Boathouse Motel, tells WINK News. "Our electric is a little bit past due, our water is due, our payroll is in a week and a half," Marcia Mandel, general manager of Lakeside Inn, tells the TV station.

A recent poll by Orlando-based travel marketing firm Ypartnership says that about 22% of tourists were less likely to visit southwest Florida beaches for fear of oil-riddled beaches, the WINK News story says.

The drive to our resort included a visit to what we thought the driver said was Kentucky Fried Chicken but was clearly not, a screeching stop for a large pig standing on the road, and a call to the driver's house to drop off food to his wife.

I experienced ''island time'' first-hand the following day when I asked to be taken into Nuku'alofa by 9am and we began the half-hour trip at 8.55am. Minutes into the journey, the taxi (a beat-up station wagon which had never had the words ''warrant of fitness'' uttered anywhere near it) stopped and the driver, who spoke very little English, indicated for me to wait in the car.

He wandered off and 15 minutes later returned with a coke bottle full of petrol to refill the empty tank. When I related this story to the owners of the resort, they laughed and said, ''That's Tonga''.

After a few more days in Tongatapu - including an island tour, exploring the markets, and sampling the food - we headed for Vava'u, an island about 240km north.

Despite the many warnings about aeroplanes being held together by rubber bands, our flight there did not seem especially death-defying, and we set down safely in an altogether different type of island.

While Nuku'alofa offered a new cultural experience, illustrating the country's hardships with run-down houses acting as headquarters for major government departments, Vava'u was geared more towards tourism.

The shopping area was smaller than in the capital, but had a cleaner look and boasted several waterfront restaurants and tourist shops.

Yachts filled the harbour and there were operations for fishing, diving, snorkelling, whale-watching and kayaking.

A Kart Safari - off-road carts for hire - gave visitors the chance for a guided ride through farmland to Vava'u's coast. Although this was fairly pricey (about 150 pa'angas, or $NZ110, per person), it was a chance to see parts of the island that were otherwise inaccessible, including amazing ocean views and Tongan farming villages.

Whales are Tonga's tourism drawcard, and several companies offered ''swim with the whales'' opportunities. Although none of my group jumped in with the humpbacks, we got close to them while sailing around Vava'u's islands on a catamaran for a week. Many whales breached the surface within metres of our boat.

On dry land not all was so idylic, with the risk that your worldly goods could be harpooned by thieves. Petty theft appeared to be one of Tonga's biggest problems.

Roadside shops supplying the bare essentials were set up as stalls with bars across the front, and backpacker and resort owners warned against leaving accommodation doors unlocked because tourists were often targeted.

However, one taxi driver said bigger crimes, such as car theft, were much less common.

''Everyone knows each other, so someone would know who did it,'' she told me.

Although theft was reportedly an issue, no one in my group had anything taken and we actually had one driver go out of his way to return a video game left in his car.

In contrast, after being back in New Zealand for less than a week, my car window was smashed and opportunist thieves helped themselves to a bag and two CD wallets - so I'm not feeling especially confident about petty crime here now either.

While the ''that's Tonga'' attitude arose several more times during the trip, it would be unfair to say this related solely to mishaps like broken-down cars and missed deadlines.

The generous attitudes of the Tongan people stood out, with locals invariably willing to go out of their way to help. In several cases they gave me rides and didn't ask for anything in return.

This was best seen on the final night of our trip, when we were facing a nine-hour wait outside the closed international airport.

The taxi driver, Ema, having driven us to the airport, turned around when we saw it was closed and took us to a buffet dinner and floor show being hosted by the Oholei beach resort.

Because it was the last day of the trip, none of us had any cash for the dinner, and Ema ended up paying for all seven of us, then joined us. So ''that's Tonga'' too - endless generosity and friendship.

The buffet included three spit-roasted pigs, seafood, vegetables and green salads, as well as traditional Tongan foods such as lu kapapulu (corned beef, onions and coconut cream wrapped in greens and steamed), which, for one daring enough to try, were an interesting new taste-bud experience.

During the floor show, a spectacle inside a cave featuring Tongan floor and fire dances, the resort's owner, Simana Kami, spoke about Tonga's future.

''We suffered with the cyclone this year and lost so much. It destroyed the resort, but we built it up again, and now we welcome people back,'' he said.

The Lakshadweepa is located 200 to 300 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea. Eleven of the islands are inhabited. Lashadweep officially consists of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks, with a total of about 36 islands and islets. The name of the archipelago literally translates as hundred thousand island i.e., laksha one hundred thousand, and dweep means island.

Apart from this, islands of India contain islands of the Cauvery River that encompasses islands of Srigangapatna and Shivanasamudram. Also, you can visit islands of Mumbai harbour. The range of islands includes Butcher Island, Cross Island, Elephanta Island, Middle Ground, Oyster Rock, Salsette Island, etc.

The Islands of India are famous for tourist spots. They are perfect holiday destination for nature-lovers. Every piece of island has its own richness in a bevy of beauties.