Adventures in Google Earth

Next week we are going to be travling to the South Pacific! Be sure to join us! Remember, if you want to become a follower of Adventures in Google Earth, just click on Follow this blog!
If you want us to travel anywhere by way of "deskchair" traveling, let us know by leaving a comment. Thank you.

Happy Traveling,
Flora and Leanne

Inside Calypso's Cave

Hmm. That title ought to catch the eye of a mythology buff or any student who has read The Odyssey. Here on the island of Gozo (a part of the Republic of Malta) the locals claim that this cave was where the enchanting nymph Calypso made her home. In fact, Gozo's sobriquet (look it up ;) ) is "The Isle of Calypso." We have included links to pictures of this mythological and intriguing cave at the end of this post. We even added a link to The Odyssey!

Another notable natural wonder in Malta is the Blue Lagoon. We found this when we were visiting the island via Google Earth. It is absolutely GORGEOUS! The Blue Lagoon is found off the island of Comino. It's sheltered, brilliantly blue water gives the appearance of a natural swimming pool. You must (haha) look this up on Google Earth--it's beautiful!


Continue your "deskchair" traveling:
http://visitmalta.com/natural-attractions
Blue Lagoon: http://berezko.net/image/tid/67
Calypso's Cave: http://www.showcaves.com/english/mt/caves/Calypso.html
The Odyssey: http://www.online-literature.com/homer/odyssey/

Happy Traveling,
Flora and Leanne

P.S. By the way, feel free to leave us a comment whenever you drop by! :)

Malta, Malta, Malta!

Hello readers!

We are in Malta this week! The Republic of Malta is a group of islands about 90 km from Sicily. It's name is said to have come from the Greek word μέλι (meli) meaning honey. Malta has long been famous for it's large population of honeybees and abundance of honey. The offical language was replaced from Italian to Maltese and English in 1934. Like Sicily, Malta has been at one time or another controlled almost every civilization possible. These include the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, and the British, amongst many others. Only recently, in 1964, did Malta become independent. Malta apparently has a strong mythological lure and is considered by some to be the location of the mythical lost island of Atlantis. The island of Malta today is a popular tourist attraction (we really want to go visit it in person!) and is known for it's beautiful beaches, world heritage sites and it's appreciation of the arts.

Happy Traveling,
Flora and Leanne


To learn more visit:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/malta
Timeline: http://www.aboutmalta.com/history/time-Line.htm
Pictures: http://www.fortogden.com/MALTA-SLIDE-1.html

Back to the Mediterranean

Join us next week as we venture into a Mediterranean island rich with culture, history, and landmarks. Can you guess where we're headed? Here's a hint: the island is famous for it's honey.

'Til next week,
Flora and Leanne

Coconut Crabs

Coconut Crabs (Birgus latro)* are part of the hermit crab family. When juveniles, the Coconut crabs occupy a gastropod shell. When 2-3 years old, they abandon the shell, develop an exoskeleton and become a miniature of the adult Coconut crab.

Coconut Crabs can weigh up to nine pounds and can be three feet long (that's one yard!). These grabby little goomers have the name coconut crab because they can climb coconut trees and snap off the branch where the coconut hangs with their powerful claws. If the coconut does not crack open on the fall, this crab must husk the fibers away and make a small hole. After they make a bigger hole, they can snap it with their claw and eat the fleshy part.

This amazing animal lives in sandy burrows and coral or rock crevices. They can be found in The Seychelles in the Indian Ocean to Easter Islands in the Pacific. They have adapted so well to living on land, that they can drown when in water!

Want to learn more about Coconut crabs? Here are some wonderful websites that include pictures and videos:

http://www.arkive.org/coconut-crab/birgus-latro/video-00.html (We found ARKive on Google Earth and it is an amazing website)

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/2811/0

Happy Traveling!

Leanne and Flora

Footnotes:

*also known as the Robber Crab or the Palm thief.

Three Beautiful Uninhabited Atolls

Filippo Reef
Less than a mile long, this is the only island in the Line Island Group that hasn't ever been claimed by the USA. There is some speculation that this may be a Phantom Island, due to the lack of recent sightings. Filippo Reef is part of the Central Line Island.


Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef
These atolls are uninhabited, US territories. They are part of the Northern Line Islands. We found many beautiful pictures of Palmyra on Google Earth. You can also visit the following sites:
http://www.janeresture.com/palmyra/index.htm
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/asiapacific/palmyra/plants/ http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/kingman-reef/warne-text

Happy Traveling!
Flora and Leanne

Malden & Jarvis Islands

Welcome!
Malden Island is a 15 sq mile uninhabited atoll, part of the Line Islands belonging to Kiribati. The island is mainly known for it's mysterious ruins. These stone structures are located along the shoreline and include house sites, temple platforms and graves. We have searched in vain online for photos of Malden Island to share with you but couldn't find any. However, you can read more about the ruins and the different views concerning them at
http://www.janeresture.com/kiribati_line/malden.htm.
We also found an interesting website of with pictures of Japan's underwater ruins. You can visit this site at:
http://members.toast.net/rjspina/Japan

Jarvis Island
Jarvis Island is a currently uninhabited US Territory. In 1935 it was colonized, along with Baker Island and Howland Island. The settlement was called Millerville. Due to WWII, Millersville was evacuated and destroyed in 1942. For more information and pictures of Jarvis Island visit:
http://jarvisisland.info/pbif.html

Happy Traveling!
Flora and Leanne