Here's a long, very nicely produced promo video for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's a very slick look at all the outdoor and cultural adventures you can have in and around the city, from beaches to Brazilian music, nightlife and Carnaval. I'm impressed with the quality, emotional appeal and length of the clip - Rio!

12/15/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brasil, tourism, travel, Rio, beach, vacation, trip, Carnaval

 

Poor Lonesome George - the last tortoise species of his kind in the Galapagos has been trying to reproduce for many years now. What was first thought to be successful fertilization of eggs with a female from a similar species is not looking good, as the eggs are of a poor shape and colour. We had the opportunity to meet Lonesome George in person on our 2002 trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and his is indeed a heart-wrenching story. It's really quite emotional to be watching such a large, beautiful animal knowing it's the last of it's kind. Let's all hope that his next batch of eggs is more promising. To watch the video from National Geographic, click here.

11/20/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Galapago, Islands, tortoise, Ecuador, Lonesome George, Galapagos Tortoise

 

Here's a great little primer for your first visit to Brazil. This video shows some of the most important Portuguese words and phrases to survive your trip to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, or any other Brazilian city. Phrases like "thank you", "do you speak English", "excuse me" and more essentials are covered here, both written and phonetically.

11/12/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Portuguese language, Portuguese phrases, Brazil language, speak Portuguese, Portugese, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro

 

Whale sharks, whale sharks and more whale sharks! This video is crammed with 5 minutes of the largest fish on the planet, found in great quantities in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of mainland Ecuador in South America. I never, ever get tired of watching these creatures, and always bring back memories of our own scuba trip to the Galapagos.

11/10/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Galapagos, whale sharks, scuba diving, Ecuador, whale shark, scuba, underwater, Galapagos Islands

 

Here's a funny video from the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Taken off North Seymour, the clip starts with a giant manta ray, thens transitions to focus on whitetip reef sharks. Keep a close eye starting around 1:45 in, where a sea lion comes in from the left to investigate the camera, then gets sidetracked and nips at the tail of a shark - now that's courage!

09/26/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Galapagos, shark, sharks, manta, manta rays, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, scuba, sea lion