CHURROS, SPAIN

Executive summary by darmansjah

The Spanish take on a doughnut, the churro is a long, delicately-ridged tube (the dough is piped through a star-shaped nozzle) that’s deep-fried until golden, dusted with sugar-or sometimes cinnamon-and then dunked into thick hot chocolate. Sold in churreriasand from stalls in the street, this is an Iberian breakfast to beat them all.

ORIGIN The churro sheep was a breed known for the quality of its wool. The shepherds who looked after them were only able to cary the basics, which in Spain was fried bread-simple and easy to cook on the go. Sugar was later sprinkled on top and the star shaped form became popular, allowing the outside to crisp up while the centre remains soft. In some parts of the country, these deep-fried treats are knowns as porras.

TASTING You have the hangover to end them all-the sort that renders normal conversation impossible. Even thinking hurts. However, you catch the scent of sweet, frying dough, stop and look around, and spot the stall. A great vat is filled with boiling oil and the fresh dough, pushed through that star shaped nozzle, is plopped in. there is a delectable sizzle; no more than a minute passes before the crisp, piping-hot tubes are sieved out, drained and sprinkled with sugar. The first bite is red-hot and deeply addivtive-a crunch followed by blissful softness. A few more bites and it’s gone. The second churro disappears in record time.  By the time the hot chocolate arrive, you’re coming back to life, your grimace replaced by a sugary grin.

FINDING IT The chocolateria San Gines in Madrid serves some of the finest churros in the country (US$2.60-US$5.60; 00 34 91 365 65 46).

Pinanncles Desert

The Pinanncles Desert

By darmansjah

If you want to see the natural wonders of limestone, compaction to please you pinnancles desert. Here there are hundreds of natural limestone as high as five meters 25,000-30,000 years old. The place is very beautiful views, especially when the sun sets.

Formation

The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier epoch rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime rich sands which were blown inland to form high mobile dunes.

The mechanisms through which the Pinnacles were formed from this raw material are the subject of some controversy, with three mechanisms having been proposed:

 They were formed from lime leaching from the aeolian sand (wind-blown sand) and by rain cementing the lower levels of the dune into a soft limestone. Vegetation forms an acidic layer of soil and humus. A hard cap of calcrete develops above the softer limestone. Cracks in the calcrete are exploited by plant roots. The softer limestone continues to dissolve and quartz sand fills the channels that form. Vegetation dies and winds blow away the sand covering the eroded limestone, thus revealing the Pinnacles.

They were formed through the preservation of cast of trees buried in coastal aeolianites where roots became groundwater conduits, resulting in precipitation of indurated (hard) calcrete. Subsequent wind erosion of the aeolianite would then expose the calcrete pillars.

 On the basis of the mechanism of formation of smaller “root casts” occurring in other parts of the world, it has been proposed that plants played an active role in the creation of the Pinnacles, rather than the rather passive role detailed above. The proposal is that as transpiration draws water through the soil to the roots, nutrients and other dissolved minerals flow toward the root. This process is termed "mass-flow" and can result in the accumulation of nutrients at the surface of the root, if the nutrients arrive in quantities greater than needed for plant growth. In coastal aeolian sands which have large amounts of calcium (derived from marine shells) the movement of water to the roots would drive the flow of calcium to the root surface. This calcium accumulates at high concentrations around the roots and over time is converted into a calcrete. When the roots die, the space occupied by the root is subsequently also filled with a carbonate material derived from the calcium in the former tissue of the roots and possibly also from water leaching through the structures. Although evidence has been provided for this mechanism in the formation of root casts in South Africa, evidence is still required for its role in the formation of the Pinnacles.

Tourism

The Pinnacles remained unknown to most Australians until the 1960s, when the area was dismissed to Nambung National Park. The area receives over 250,000 visitors a year. A visitor precinct and interpretive centre was completed in March 200.

The best season to see the Pinnacles is spring from August to October, as the days are mild and wildflowers start to bloom. The pinnacle formations are best viewed in the early morning or late afternoon as the play of light brings out the colours and the extended shadows of the formations delivers a contrast that brings out their features. Most animals in the park are nocturnal, but emus and kangaroos can be seen during the daytime, more commonly in the evening or early morning.

PHAT KAPHRAO, Thailand

Executive summary by darmansjah

The Thai word kaphrao means ‘holy basil’, which is the essential ingredient in this stir-fried dish. In pha kaphrao, the plant is combined with some protein-typically minced pork or chicken, but it can also be seafood-along with coarsely chopped garlic, chillies and, sometimes, chopped yardlong bean. The dish is seasoned with fish sauce and a pinch of sugar, served over rice and usually crowned with a fried egg.

ORIGIN Phat kaphrao is a relatively recent introduction to Thai cuisine and didn’t become commonplace until about 50 years ago, although Thai holy basil has been a well-used local ingredient for a long time. In ancient India, the herb was used in ayurvedic medicine and is considered a sacred plant among Hindus. Like much Thai street food-and particularly because phat kaphrao is work-fried-the dish most likely has at least partial Chinese origins.

TASTING Unlike other Thai street dishes, there generally aren’t vendors who specialize only in phat kaphrao. Typically, the dish is found at ‘made-to-order’ carts, stalls and restaurants. These establishments do a huge variety of dishes, and can be recognized by a tray of raw ingredients. A diner will generally have a look at what ingredients are available and place their order directly with the cook. The steaming dish will emerge from the work a few minutes later. Although phat kaphrao is predominately salty and spicy, it is always served with a small bowl of finely sliced chillies in fish sauce, and sometimes a squeeze of lime-the Thai equivalent of the salt shaker.

Finding It any raan ahaan taam sang, or ‘made-to-order’, restaurant or stall in Thailand will serve phat kaphrao (US$1-US$1.60).

Find Zoo Without Fences

By darmansjah

See the beauty Australia with Singapore Airlines

Fly round-trip to Adelaide, Brisbane. Melbourne, Perth, Sydney ranging from USD700

Enjoy the change of dollars voucher; Inside dollar voucher for $ 40 when you are in transit in Singapore on Singapore Airlines

Stay in Tangaloma Wild Dolphin Resort. Brisbane; 50% discount on a whale watch cruise (Jun-Oct) or, Dugong / Marine Discovery Cruise (adult A $ 65-A $ 45 children)

Enjoy stunning views of Australia in Adelaide; purchase tour packages for adult day and get 50% discount for the second package (adult or child) for the tour options, including Kangaroo Island and the Flinders Ranges. Book 3 day stay package at the Flinders Ranges Outback Tour Mountain Safari once and get 50% discount for the second package.

Perth experienced extraordinary; Buy any package to Perth and get Extraordinary Deals Booklet with many pieces up to AUD $ 5000!

Australia’s unique wildlife is one of the main attractions for visitors. Here are some of the top places you can get close to them in their natural habitat.

New South Wales

Whale watching from land or sea, dolphin cruises, swimming with seals, sea bird watching and other aquatic creature encounters are plentiful along the New South Wales coast from Eden in the south to Cape Byronin the north. Prime whale-watching sites include Byron Bay, Port Stephens, Jervis Bay, Merimbula and Eden and even close to Sydney from the beachside headlands. On Montague Island you can view colonies of little penguins and Australian fur seals. Port Stephens, Byron Bay and Jervis Bay are popular places for dolphin-watching.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory teems with wildlife and a great way to see the wildlife of the rivers and wetlands of the Northern Territory is on a guided cruise. Yellow Water is a billabong in Kakadu National Park where you will see submerged crocodiles, wild horses and buffalo. During the wet season it attracts millions of migratory birds. Crocodiles are the most famous of the Territory's creatures, and can be seen in most rivers and billabongs in the Top End.

Queensland

The Queensland coastline is a convoy of cruising humpback whales between July and November. Hervey Bay is known as the ‘Whale Watching Capital of Australia’. Many operators will take you on a whale-watching cruise to see their spectacular acrobatic antics. On the Great Barrier Reef you can snorkel close to a kaleidoscope of colourful fish, sea turtles and manta rays in warm tropical waters. Swim with inquisitive minke whales on an expedition from Cairns or Port Douglas. Watch nesting sea turtles and emerging hatchlings head to the ocean at Mon Repos Conservation Park, Heron Island or Lady Elliott Island; or feed wild dolphins on Moreton Island. Queensland is also home to more than 600 bird species and is one of the best places in the world to go birdwatching. Eungella National Park near Mackay is platypus country. Nowhere else in the world are you as likely to see as many of these extraordinary creatures as here.

South Australia

Kangaroo Island is a true zoo without fences. Watch Little Penguins waddling home after a day out at sea, or take a cruise and swim with the island’s resident pods of dolphins. Bird-lovers will find some 270 species including the rare Glossy Black Cockatoo, which is only found here. The Seal Park Conservation Park is one of the only places in the world where you can wander within metres of hundreds of rare Australian Sea-lions as they lazily doze on the beach. On the Eyre Peninsula you can swim with sea lions and dolphins. Watch little penguins make their way to the burrows at dusk at the Granite Island Recreation or Nature Park at Victor Harbour. In winter the Great Australian Bight is the best place to spot southern right whales nursing their young.

Tasmania

Tasmania's isolation from mainland Australia has meant the survival of many plants and animals that are rare or extinct elsewhere in the world. You may be lucky to encounter a wombat or shy platypus or hear the chilling screams of a Tasmanian devil as you walk a forest path or sit quietly by a stream in the World Heritage-listed wilderness. Narawntapu National Parkis one of the best places to see a variety of animals. See fairy penguins waddle up the beach at dusk at Bicheno on Tasmania’s east coast. Birdwatchers should not miss visiting Bruny Island.

Victoria

Victoria’s Phillip Island Nature Park is home to one of Australia's most popular wildlife attractions, the nightly Penguin Parade. Rangers guide small groups of people to view the penguins as they come up the beach each evening. You can join an expedition to swim alongside playful dolphins or seals in Port Phillip Bay. Victoria has more than 100 national parks where you can see kangaroos, emus, wombats, lyrebirds, glow worms, platypus and Tasmanian devils in their natural habitat. Watch for whales at Warrnambool between June and September.

Western Australia

The Ningaloo Marine Park offers a wonderful opportunity to see three of the world's seven species of marine turtles, Green, Loggerhead, and Hawksbill as they nest on mainland beaches from November to March. Western Australia is also home to the famous dolphins of Monkey Mia where each morning for more than 40 years wild bottlenose