Panama

A GREAT day in my mailbox thanks to some people....and it's really good the postman decided to come today (he comes rather scarcely compared to previous times, and I really miss having mail on (almost) daily basis...but anyways...today was a working Saturday...so it was a real treat and cheer-up to open my mailbox when I came home.

And one of the lovely items inside was this ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS map from Panama! Which along with another Panama card came as a great surprise from Freddy, totally unexpectedly....but surely, wholeheartedly appreciated! This map has been in my favourites for sooo long and now it is finally mine!! Yippie yippie yippie!!!
From what I could figure out from the back of the card, here is shown the division according to Indigenous groups....so you have: 1. Kuna; 2. Ngöbe-Buglé; 3. Emberá-Wounaan; 4. Teribe; 5. Bri-Bri; 6. BOKOTAS

I know it will be way too much to write about each of them separately..so ill just give you some overall information about all these.

The 2000 Census indicated that there were 285,231 indigenous people in the country, of which 61,707 were Kuna, 17,731 Buglé, 993 Bokota, 6,882 Wounaan, 169,130 Ngöbe, 3,305 Teribe, 22,485 Emberá, 2,521 Bri-bri and 477 unclassified.

The other card Freddy sent me, shows an Emberá girl, so Ill get into a bit more details of these people when the time comes :)

and some great stamps...all over the card!
The top one is from a set of 17 stamps issued in 2003 commemorating the Centenary of the Republic of Panama 1903 to 2003. The bottom stamp is from a set of 7 Tourism stamps issued in 1998.

Thank you very much again Freddy for this splendid surprise! 

Lista Fyr, Norway

Fantastic card sent by Sissel....who says that Norway actually doesnt have that many lighthouses...hmm, pity...

The Lista lighthouse is 34 metres tall and was lit for the first time on the 10th of November 1836. There are 132 stairs leading to the top from where you can enjoy the fantastic view of the Lista peninsula and the sea.

This lighthouse is said to have a rich history....but google seems to be so stingy on information!
But well....you can enjoy the view at least :)

This is the EUROPA stamp issued in 2007 (there are two in the set) on the theme of Scouting. Now this Scouting theme is the one thats most impossible to be found in Macedonia...and im not sure whats happening with the latest issue on Forests....but for starters, I dont even have the date when these shall be released here....

Thank you again Sissel, for another splendid card! 

Japan

Well, I havent made any Japanese posts since the terrible earthquake that had stricken this country....maybe coz i was expected to make one, in order to speak of what happened.....but I think coz it was just expected, hence I didnt do it, not coz i dont care about it or anything....

and on the other hand, I think that the media are really perfect panic-creators. As much as the situation in Japan is serious, it is just unbelievable to see how the Japanese people are behaving. I truly truly admire them. No fights in front of shops to steal food...no hysteria....nothing...and thats why they can manage....coz if you waste your time in dramatizing, you surely wont get anywhere....I mean, here, we are so disorganized, we will never even come close to Japan....or at least not in this existence of Earth.
And another thing that touched me was the mail delivery....where in the parts of Japan that have been mostly affected, they say that there will be some delay in mail delivery, but the Japanese are doing their best to have it delivered in the right places....even if you are in some of the numerous shelters...in a city where there are over one million inhabitants...do you know what that means? and im pretty sure that receiving a random postcard from around the world in such circumstances, is something that you cant remain indifferent to.

the bottom stamp is a definitive issues in 1997 in a set of 3 (probably the most common Japanese stamp ive received on my cards)...the other one is from a set of 10 flower stamps issued in 2009.

a side-note....just today I also got the chance to send my first (official) card to Japan since the earthquake....I hope it will brighten up someone's day in Tokyo...

Wisła, Poland

Oh yes...we cant go without a train :)

this train is in the city of Wisła, which is a small Polish city near the border with Czech Republic. Wisła is the Polish name for the Vistula River, which has its source in the mountains near the town.
Wisła is a popular year-round tourist destination, with the nearby mountains favored by ski jumpers. It is known for being the home town of ski jumper Adam Małysz, and for the fact that it is the only town in Poland with a majority Protestant population.

with all due respect to Adam, but ive never heard of him...thats what happens when tennis takes up most of the 'sport-watching' time

yes, you know the stamp...i know you do! :)

Bogus Basin Ski Resort, USA

This card came as a lovely surprise card from Frankie, who sent me an official card not so long ago, but along with the official card (which is a train btw, with train stamps!!!) she also sent me this one, simply coz she saw it in my favourites!! Isnt that just kind and generous! I was really happy!

And something else....this card made me realize that I actually have no Idaho cards posted here so far....so here is the time to cover another US state.

As the back of the card says: "Over 2600 acres of ski-resort just 16 miles north of Boise, spoils the winter enthusiasts who live in southwest Idaho's Treasure Valley.
Well, the view is just amazing....and I love the idea of flickering lights in the background...of course, it cant be seen on the card, but im pretty sure in reality it is like that....

and this may be a frequent US stamp, but i think in this case it perfectly matches the card :)

Thank you so much again Frankie...for spoiling me :)
And thank you everyone for reading....wishing you a great rest of the weekend!

Ethiopia

What a gloomy, coldish Saturday morning....where did all the lovely sunshine go? Well, I must confess here that for this weekend I wish the weather to be like this, since I have so much work to do, that at least it would be easier to do that compared to having to work when the weather is beautiful outside, and the air has this perfect scent, and the birds are singing....plus it is a perfect day to make an update too, no? :)
And speaking of birds, here is one...

One of the surprise cards Sean sent me during his last-year's trip to Ethiopia.....and just for the record, Sean is in Ethiopia again *wink wink*
The card says to show endemic birds of Ethiopia, but due to my great knowledge of the Ethiopian alphabet, I cant really understand which bird is exactly in question. Well, after some googling, I came up with some results, and my best wild guess after comparing the images, is that this is "Prince Ruspoli's Turcao". What a name for a bird!
It is said that this bird was first introduced to science when Prince Ruspoli collected it in either 1892 or 1893. Since Prince Ruspoli, an Italian explorer, was killed in an "encounter with an elephant" in the Lake Abaya area and unfortunately did not leave any notes about his travels, the locality and date of collection of the first specimen of this turaco remain unknown. This turaco is considered to be an endangered species and is included in the "Red Book" of endangered animals of the world. However, some sightings in juniper forests and especially in dry water courses which include figs, the rubiaceous tree, Adina, and undergrowth of acacia and Teclea shrubs, suggest that the species may be more common than thought.

There are no breeding records nor any recorded observations on the nesting activities of Prince Ruspoli's Turaco, its nest and eggs are unknown. It has been reported to feed on fruits of Tecle and Aditicl. Its call has been described as a low "chirr-clia" and short "te".

the stamps come from a set of 23 definitives issued in 2000, representing animals.

Thank you so much again Sean!!! 

Kharkiv, Ukraine

A lovely train card sent to me by Olia.

The card shows the railway station in Kharkiv at the beginning of the 20th century.
Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine (something Ive learned just now, I must admit), located in the northeast part of the country.
The first railway connection of Kharkiv was opened in 1869. The first train to arrive in Kharkiv came from the north on 22 May 1869, and on 6 June 1869, traffic was opened on the Kursk–Kharkiv–Azov line. Kharkiv's passenger railway station was reconstructed and expanded in 1901, to be later destroyed in the Second World War. A new railway station was built in 1952.

So this is that reconstructed and expanded version I guess, before being destroyed in the war.

and just look at this fantastic stamps!!! a lighthouse and a train!! The lighthouse stamp is from a set of 6 lighthouse stamps issued in 2010 and it portrays the Illichivskyi lighthouse. While the train stamp is also from 2010 from a set of 4 called 50 Years of Kyiv Metro - Modern Metro Train. The other two stamps are definitives issued in 2008 in a set of 13 stamps representing handicrafts.
 Thank you again Olia!!! 

Tehachapi Loop, USA

a fantastic official card I received last year, showing the Tehachapi Loop in California.

US-814108

The Techachapi loop is located about 8 miles west of Tehachapi, California, A train with 85 or more boxcars will pass over itself going around the loop. The engineering feat which created the Southern Pacific Railroad Companie's route through the Techachapi Pass continues to fascinate tourists and railroad buffs by the hundreds each year.

It is just soo amazing!!! I wonder at what speed you actually need to go in order none of the boxcars turns over and you make it to the destination safe and sound.

a lot has been spoken of this stamp, no? :)

Cabo da Roca, Portugal

I decided to include two cards here since they both show the same lighthosue but from different perspectives...and either way, it would feel rather pointless to write again some time in the future about Cabo de Roca, when so many other Portuguese cards are begging to be posted :)

PT-158776

This one came as an official, and it says that this lighthouse is on the most westerly point of Europe! Aww, and you know I love it when a card shows such the most xxx point of the world.

This other card was in my favourites and Johanna was so kind and decided to surprise me by sending it to me for the Jan-May RR!
On this other card, the following details are given:
Latitude - 38° 46′ North/ Longitude - 9° 30′ West

Both cards arrived with lovely stamps! The first one has three stamps (yeah 3, I too late realized I hadnt scanned the third one on the left and then after everything was scanned and uploaded, I felt too lazy to do it all over again...but Ill tell you that the third stamp is from a set of 5 issued in 2003 featuring birds and this one in particular shows the Green Woodpecker.
As for the other two stamps you can  actually see, the lighthouse one is actually a stamp issued in Açores, in 2008, while the other one is also a stamp from 2008 from a set of 5, portraying Urban Transport in the Inter-War Years.
The stamp on the second card is an EUROPA one again coming from Açores, as a part of the m/s issued in 2010 representing children's books.  

Moose, Canada

Well, my last card for today is one of those lovely "Did you know cards" that I received back in 2009...but Ive realized Im not the only one who has cards left pending from years ago, so I dont feel THAT bad about it :)

So here what the card has to say, in order to spare you zooming and staring your eyes out while looking at the screen.

The moose (so named in North America) is the largest member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from the others by the palmate antlers of its males. The great length of the legs gives a decidedly lanky appearance to the moose. The muzzle is long and fleshy with only a very small triangular patch below the nostrils; and the males have a peculiar sac, known as the bell, hanging from the neck. The typical moose stands about 1.9 metres at the shoulder, only the males have antlers. Moose are found in Canadian forests from the Alaska boundary to the eastern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is estimated that there is between 500 000 and 1 million moose in Canada. In Canadian provinces, collisions with moose are frequent enough that all new highways have fences to prevent moose from accessing the road. A moose's body structure, with a large heavy body suspended on long spindly legs, makes these animals particularly dangerous when hit by motor vehicles. Such collisions are often fatal for both the moose and the motorist.

and down to the stamps....there are three samples of the Captain Robert A. Bartlett stamp, issued in 2009, while the other one is from a set of five Beneficial Insects stamps, issued in 2007 and this one here shows us a Golden-eyed Lacewing.

Thank you for following and have a great weekend everyone!  

Chamarel Falls, Mauritius

What a beautiful fantastic day outside! We've been blessed with some sunshine during the past few says and even though it came as a drastic change, I love it! So before I step outside in my backyard and read something or write a letter in the sunshine, lets make a quick update along with the morning coffee.

This beautiful card came from Hemal in Mauritius. One doesnt often see written and stamped cards from Mauritius, so these are always welcome :)
The card apart from showing a cute pink pigeon, represents the Chamarel Falls. Chamarel is actually the name of the village, but the falls and the so-called coloured earths of Chamarel is what attracts the tourists here.
The Chamarel waterfall emerges from the moors and primeval vegetation and is startingly beautiful. The water tumble from the St. Denis River in the Black River Mountains from a height of about 83 m. They are the highest waterfalls in Mauritius.
I dont know about you but I keep reading them as 'charamel'....it's nothing new that I keep misreading certain places for food :)

The stamp on the right is from a set of 12 flower definitives issued in 2009 while the turtle stamp is from a set of 4 issued also in 2009.
Thanks a lot Hemal, for the beautiful card and the beautiful stamps too.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

A card from back in 2009, showing the Old San Juan...or as it is said on the back of the card, a panoramic view of Condado at night from bridge over lagoon

And instead of some more details about San Juan, the back of the card also contains a recipe, so I have to share it with you as well :)
It is an easy one, saying how to make Sweet Potato Chips....id love to try these as well!

-These eye-catching chips rank high on the nutritional scale - lots of vitamin A. Why not serve choice sweet potato chips instead of corn chips at your next cocktail party?

4 pounds sweet potatoes, well scrubbed. Sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
1 quart canola oil for frying.

Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. Heat oil to 400 degrees. Drop slices of potatoes, a few at a time, into the hot oil and fry about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Season and serve.

Told you it's piece of cake....and you dont really need to wait for a cocktail party as an excuse to make them, right?

Manila, Philippines

A great train card sent by Cenezo!

The card in particularly shows the LRT in Manila, or the Light Rail  Transit System. It is a metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. Although referred to as a light rail system because it originally used light rail vehicles, it has many characteristics of a rapid transit (metro) system, such as high passenger throughput and exclusive right-of-way.
The LRT has at its disposal 31 stations along over 31 kilometers of mostly elevated track form two lines, and around 579,000 passengers are served each day.
There are two lines, Line 1, also known as the Yellow Line, opened in 1984 and travels a north–south route, while Line 2, the Purple Line, was completed in 2004 and runs east–west.

and the card arrived with two lovely train stamps! they come from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2010, featuring the Manila City Railway...perfectly matching the card! 

Lake Cumberland, USA

last card for today comes from Kentucky in the USA.

the card shows Lake Cumberland, which covers parts of seven counties in southern Kentucky. The lake covers over 50,000 acres of land, over 100 miles long and over 1200 miles of shoreline. Famous for some of the world's finest houseboats and fastest speedboats. - from the back of the card.

And some stats according to aunt Wiki:

-The normal summer pool is around 723 feet above mean sea level.
-The tree line is about 725 feet.
-The maximum pool is 760 feet at the top of dam floodgates
-Lake is considered at "flood control" level from 723 to 760 feet.
-Normal power drawdown is between 723 and 673 feet.
-At 760 feet elevation, the shoreline of Lake Cumberland is 1,255 miles.
-At maximum possible elevation of 760 feet, Lake Cumberland is considered to be 101 miles long, with a total surface area of 65,530 acres.
-Surface area at 723 feet is 50,250 acres.
-At minimum power pool of 673 feet, the surface area is 35,820 acres .
-Average depth of lake at summer pool of 723 feet above sea level: 90 feet.
-Deepest point in lake: original river channel adjacent to Wolf Creek Dam: 200 feet

The lowest water level recorded (since construction) was 675.10 feet above mean sea level on January 27, 1981. The highest water level recorded was 751.70 feet above mean sea level at 2:00AM, May 13, 1984,

I find these numbers more confusing than helpful......

Ever since the US international postage had increased, I dont see the 94 stamp so often...and then there are also four samples of the Tiffany Lamp issued in 2008.

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday...im about to enjoy the sunshine! 

Jesuit Reductions, Paraguay

Another weekend comes to an end...a too short one as usual. Weekends seem to disappear in a blink of an eye...and a new Monday knocks on the door.
Well, lets close this week with another update...and a more than a special card for the kick-off!

It is special coz of several reasons....first of all this is my first ever card from Paraguay...second, it is written and stamped! And third, and to me the most important, it came as a real surprise from Ana in Paraguay on the behalf of dear Anu! There is nothing more meaningful in a card than such thoughtfulness, and im more than touched and thankful for such an amazing surprise! Oh yeah, actually I received not one, but TWO written and stamped Paraguay cards, and for now of course, ill brag with just one of them :)
The card shows the Jesuit Reductions, small colonies established by the missionaries in various locations in South America throughout the 17th and 18th century. Reducciones were built as miniature city-states that integrated indigenous populations with Christian faith.
In these missions the Jesuits taught the natives Spanish and how to write and read but also other crafts like how to make furniture and religious figures in wood. These missions were very important because they had saved many lives since the natives could have been victims of raids and other attacks.
This place is also known as La Santisima Trinidad de Paraná often referred to by the locals as simply the "ruins of Trinidad".
And before I forget, this place is also a UNESCO WHS! :)

The stamp on the left is from a set of two stamps issued in 2007 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Institute of High Studies in Fine Arts. The other stamp was also issued in 2007, representing a Nature Park.
In case you find the cancellation awkward, it's coz I actually had to delete parts of it, since it was placed over my address...and these Latin/South American cancellations are just soo huge, they simply cover the entire address :)

Thank you so much again to both Ana and Anu for such a fantastic card and one of the loveliest surprises! <3

The Electric Train EJ 575, Lithuania

An amazing maxi card sent by Inga

This is the double-decker electric train EJ575, manufactured by Škoda Vagonka, Czech Republic.
Id really LOVE to get a ride on a double-decker train...it looks sooo cool...and yeah, if possible, id like to have a seat on the second floor and observe the world 'from above'.

Here you can see the train in action, coz i believe that a video is worth a thousand of words :)





such a cool train! I LOVE it!!

Washington D.C.

Even though it's like the heart of the USA, I barely have cards from Washington D.C., so Im glad Jennifer sent me this one few months ago.

The back of the card has a shortish poem which goes like this:

When an enchanted forest
of pink petals
is all your eyes can see,
you know
you've set your foot
in Washington D.C.

The cherry blossoms give special beauty to the card....reminds me of the Japanese cards coz you can often see cherry blossoms there besides/in front of/behind the temples.

The stamp is rather well-known, but I love the cancellation on this one...a very clear one.

The Floating Children, Hong Kong

My last card for today comes from Hong-Kong.

The name of the card is 'The Floating Children" and this is what the back of the card has to say:
The incredible tableau of traditionally dressed children seeming to fly in the air was part of the Hong Kong 10th Anniversary of the handover to China parade on July 1st 2007.

A very lovely and colourful card and also different than the majority of my HK cards, which in general are view-cards and sometimes I have the feeling that im seeing the same buildings on all of them.

And a bunch of lovely stamps on the card.
The birds' stamps all come from a set of 16 definitives issued in 2006 and here you can see the Kingfisher (the $1 stamp on the left side of the lighthouse), the Sea Eagle (top right corner) and below the Sea Eagle is the Minivet. The lighthouse stamp was issued in 2010 in a set of 5 stamps portraying lighthouses in Hong Kong. On this stamp you can see Cape D'Aguilar. Which now reminds me I have something nice to show off at my philatelic blog :)

Thanks a lot to Orange for such lovely card and stamps and thanks to all of you for following and reading. Have a great week ahead!

Gibraltar

I know it's only Thursday, but somehow i feel in the shape to post some cards so why not use it wisely :)

Few days ago I got this amazing card from Gibraltar from dear Rafal! It may not be my first Gibraltar card but it surely is my first one with Gibraltar stamps :D
Ok, I admit I sort of hijacked a place in Rafal's RR but how can one possibly resist a card from Gibraltar...sorry Rafal :)
And what I love about this one is that it is totally different than the rest of my Gibraltar cards showing the famous rock, but here you have an aerial view which gives you a better idea of how Gibraltar actually looks like. Has some odd distribution of the habitats....for my perception. I wonder if people often get bored here...

here are the two stamps Rafal used....and at first glance they seem as if they are not cancelled, but if you take a better look at the left one, you will see some traces of the cancellation. That stamp was issued in 2009 in a set of 6 stamps commemoration 100 years of Naval aviation, while the other one is a definitive from a set of 13 issued in 2004.

Thank you so much again Rafal!

Hua Hin, Thailand

A lovely official card from Thailand.

TH-65460

And actually I barely get cards from Thailand, so this one is a nice refreshment.
The card shows a popular holiday place in Thailand called Hua-Hin. This is the Hua Hin Beach, which extends some five kilometers southwards from a rocky headland until Kao Takiap, a southern headland where a Buddhist temple clings to the cliffs.
Can you imagine a Buddhist temple amidst this kind of surrounding? Not me.
And again this card makes me yearn more and more for some warm sunny weather....the cold grey skies we keep having here are simply killing me mentally....

The first stamp is from a set of 6 stamps called Tin Toys, issued in 2010, while the other 3 orchid are from a set of 9 stamps called Amazing Thailand, issued in 2008. 

Castle Hill Light, USA

A lovely Rhode Island lighthouse.

From the back of the card:
Since 1890, when it was built by the U.S. Coast Guard, this light has marked the entrance to Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay. It originally included a light-keepers house which was removed when the light was automated. The Newport Coast Guard Station is located nearby on the Ocean Drive side of Castle Hill.

Latvia

Another great view from Latvia......

.....but again without any info on the back regarding what the actual place on the card is. All I know is that it is  showing spring time, but where exactly in Latvia, I have no idea. The postcard operators in Latvia should really do something about this and stop selling unlabeled cards, coz one of the purposes of a postcard is to teach you something and to show you a place...and I dont see the point in that if it doesnt actually tell you which place it is...it could in fact be just anywhere in the world...This is the website stated on the back of the card where you can see the actual picture you see on the card as well...but again, it doesnt give any actual details about the place. So any Latvian or just anybody else who may have the information where this is, is more than welcome to participate...thanks :)

The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 1994, representing Coats of Arms.

Well, I think i better go to sleep...it is a working day tomorrow after all...see you soon!