SELERA TOUR and TRAVEL

Friday, September 18, 2009

Happy Aidil Fitr

We are Crew Selera Tour Travel said Happy aidil fitr, May Allah forgive us and accept (the good stuff) me and you

God bless us..., Amin...

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The USAT Liberty is directly situated near the beach on Bali's northeast coast - literally a short walk from the front door of Tulamben Wreck Divers. The 120m long wreck rests on a 90 degree angle with the deck facing the open sea and used to be an American supply ship. Anchored off the coast of Lombok, the ship was hit by a Japanese torpedo during World War II. Miraculously nobody got hurt, but the damage turned the ship into a non-functioning and useless hull. The American Navy's plan to tow the ship to Singaraja harbour failed as the harbor was completely occupied, so the ship was intentionally stranded on the rocky beach of Tulamben.

In 1963 Mount Agung (the volcano which towers over Tulamben) erupted and the magma flow pressed the ship back into the sea where it presently rests at a depth of 3 to 29 metres. Since then, coral has coated the wreckage turning it into a new home for an extraordinary number of fish, coral and invertebrates. bump-head parrotfish, napoleon wrasse and barracuda are regularly spotted around the wreck.

The wreck is an absolute underwater wonderland of marine life - schools of trevally, bream, fusilier and anthias mill all over and around the wreck - often following you during the dive. Batfish, large sweet lips, angelfish, butterfly fish and anemone fish (with resident anemones of course) hover under ledges and in crevices. Lionfish, scorpionfish, hawkfish, bumphead parrot fish, pufferfish and coral trout are everywhere - as are the gobies, blennies, shrimps and dottyback out on the sand flats. The wreck is simply alive with life; corals, sponges and gorgonia fans are breathtaking along with the thousands of invertebrate life within them.

fr. Travelindo.com

Padang Bay Dive Sites - Bali

Amuk Bay, with the villages of Padangbay to the south and Candidasa to the north, is about 6 kms across and located along the south side of Bali's eastern point. Just north of Padangbay is the Blue Lagoon, a treasure-trove of marine life. 2 islands (Tepekong and Mimpang) outside the bay, and Biaha a little to the north, offer some of the most breath-taking diving in Bali. However, due to conditions, these 3 sites need to be treated with care and respect. The currents coming from the Lombok Strait create unpredictable water movements that can result in a washing machine effect.

The Blue Lagoon is actually a small bay, with a steep white sand beach, located just a tiny bit NE of Padangbai. The steepness of the beach means there are waves, therefore we take a 5 min jukung (outrigger) ride from Padangbai. The topography is not spectacular: white sand bottom, which slopes gradually to 22M, has scattered rocks, soft corals and a huge area of Staghorn Coral. However the fish life is amazing! There is a large Napoleon Wrasse that lives here, several kinds of unusual reef shark, stonefish, moray and blue ribbon eels, nudibranches, rays, squid and octopus, Leaf Scorpionfish in every hue, Stargazers. While The Blue Lagoon is easy diving, sometimes used for Open Water Courses and popular with snorkellers, experienced divers and photographers also thoroughly enjoy the site. Visibility is 15-20M, there is sometimes a little surge and a mild current, but the bay is fairly protected. The site has a good variety of Sweetlips, Angelfish, Surgeonfish.

Nusa Penida Dive Sites - Bali

Nusa Penida is the largest of 3 islands (the others being Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan). The water here is fairly cold (because of the ocean currents) but often startlingly clear, with gorgeous corals and prolific fish, with some turtle, shark (including grey reefs and silver-tips) and - Aug-Sep - Mola-Mola (the weird and wonderful Sunfish). We offers nine dive sites at Nusa Penida, three of which (Sental, Ped, SD) are along Nusa Penida's north coast. You could, theoretically, go in at Sental, drift along until you came to Ped, exit, change tanks, have a surface interval, re-enter the water exactly where you exited, drift along to SD, exit, out, back in at the same point - however, generally, due to conditions and changing currents, this isn't possible. There is no diving nor coral, due to conditions, along Nusa Penida's south coast.

Fr. Travelindo.com

Menjangan Dive Sites - Bali

It was in 1978 that Menjangan became Bali's first internationally-known dive location. Consequently, in older dive guidebooks, Menjangan is described as having beautiful reef flats. Unfortunately that is no longer true. Over the years a combination of dynamite fishing and (dive!) boats anchoring into the coral have taken their toll. Then, in 1997 there was a population explosion of the coral-eating Crown of Thorns starfish and, in 1998, coral bleaching as a result of El Nino. However, these reef flats (5-15M) are now showing strong signs of recovery and will, in all likelihood, come back with much greater diversity than they had before.

On a more positive note, Menjangan is actually famous for the wall-diving and these walls were unaffected by the above problems. They descend to varying depths, the shallowest being 26m, the deepest 60M+. The walls offer the greatest diversity of gorgonian fans in Bali. They generally start at 10m with the flat coral reefs offering gentle conditions and lots of sunlight. These are full of medium and small fish. The walls are full of small nooks and crannies, overhangs, and bigger cavelettes, crevasses, etc. They are covered with soft corals, gorgonian fans, sponges. There are only rare sightings of large fish (pelagics - ocean-going fish) in Menjangan due to the island being protected from the cold currents coming in from the open sea.

Source Fr. Travelindo.com

Amed Dive Sites - Bali

Amed is located on the north-east coast of Bali. By car, about 15 mins south of Tulamben, along the main road, and then 15mins on a local road, so Amed is much prettier than Tulamben. Due to the easy conditions at Amed, it is suitable both for novice and experienced divers. There is very rarely any wave action at the surface, so any surface swims and ascents/descents, are worry-free. Divers have virtually no currents to contend with, so no buoyancy problems for the less-experienced, and the opportunity to get right up close for those who have perfected their buoyancy and enjoy all the smaller animals on offer. The water temperature can be affected by thermoclines, and the visibility is usually 14-22M.

This small coral reef lies in depths ranging from 12-22M. In this area you will find many different kinds of sponges and gorgonians and the marinelife includes everything from gobies and shrimp as well as anemones with attendant clownfish to schools of barracuda and Blue Spotted Ray. Many different kinds of parrotfish, angelfish, surgeonfish and moray eel. This dive site is from 10 - 35 M in depth and although the Wall itself is a relatively small part of the dive, there is great diving to be had here. On the Wall you can usually find white tip reef shark, Napoleon Wrasse and occasionally big trevally. Huge numbers of fish can be found: butterflyfish, bannerfish, snapper, fusilier and triggerfish. The deep slope after the wall is rich in corals and invertebrates with crinoids as well as fishlife. Coming shallower - hard and soft corals, bommies with sponges and gorgonians. The fish found here include Lionfish.

fr: travelindo.com

Friday, February 27, 2009

Enjoying Your Phuket Thailand Vacations

Phuket is a dream destination for travelers especially for those who are beach enthusiasts. If you are planning on your Phuket Thailand vacations, it is necessary to know the different exciting beaches where you can have the most enjoyable time ever. Beaches in Phuket are famous around the world.

Travelers from the world over have their Phuket Thailand vacations because of these beautiful beaches. Most of these beaches can be seen just along the coast of Phuket as well as on the island. If you want to experience an exciting nightlife, Patong is the best place to be. Patong is known for its fantastic nightlife as well as different activities whether during the day or night.

For people who want more solitude, the beach to go to is the Nai Thon beach, which has fascinating views. Nai Thon does not have the crowds compared to other beaches so you can enjoy the serenity it provides. Its unspoiled nature is perfect for every tourist's Phuket Thailand vacations.

If you are in Phuket, you should visit the Wat Chalong or known as the Chalong Temple, which is full of Phuket culture and history. There was a legend that Wat Chaitararam was a place where miracles were performed and that the Wat had healing powers. You can see the world-famous Buddhist statues including Pho Than Jao Nonsi as well as the temples of Luang Pho Gleum and Luang Poh Chuang. A splinter of Lord Buddha's bone is located at the Grand Pagoda that dominates the temple. As you walk through the area, you can see the paintings that hang all over the walls depicting the life of the Buddha.

Thailand is known for Thai boxing sport and you should not miss watching a Muay Thai match, especially if you are into boxing. Muay Thai originated in Thailand and it is one of the most popular sports in the place. You can go to the boxing stadium located in Phuket town every Friday night to experience Muay Thai boxing with rituals and accompanied by music.

Tourists can take a leisure walk along Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, which is one of Phuket's virgin rainforest. It was transformed into a national park where travelers can enjoy the beauty of nature. Trekkers can go for an eight kilometers trek to the park that leads to the magnificent Tonsai waterfall.

You can visit the old Phuket where you can find the streets full of one hundred year old shops that were renovated into small beautiful hotels, shops and restaurants. The town gives you a different feel of Phuket with its old attractions.

Your perfect Phuket Thailand vacations will never be complete with your comfortable stay in luxurious hotels, holiday homes and villas. Different types of villas are located anywhere in the area. Choose from service apartments, luxury beachfront villas to hilltop villas that offer you with breathtaking views of the ocean. All these accommodations are available whether you intend to stay just for the weekend or even for the whole month.

To know more about Phuket Thailand vacations, it is necessary to check different websites to get the best deals of hotel accommodations, trips and vacation packages.

fr. http://thai-thai-tour.blogspot.com/2009/02/enjoying-your-phuket-thailand-vacations.htm

SELERA TOUR and TRAVEL