DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Taiwan is fast becoming a hub for outdoor adventure and wellness seekers
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But rather than one of the more obvious outdoor wellness and adventure hubs, it’s actually Taiwan. “Several factors have contributed to the rapid growth of outdoor sports in Taiwan,” says Kate Chen of the Taiwan Tourism Administration. “There was a huge spike in young adults wanting to go hiking or cycling.”But it’s not just locals discovering the island’s outdoor opportunities. Floating in the South China Sea between Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines, Dongsha Marine National Park offers an entirely different take on outdoor adventure. They also provide a venue for more than 100 nature trails that are part of a national trails network created in 2002.

Persons: CNN —, Topping, ”, Kate Chen of, Michael McCreesh, it’s, Krathon, Chen, Thao, Zhong, Nick Kembel, Taiwan's, “, There’s, Xiao Baiyue Organizations: CNN, Taiwan Tourism Administration, Taiwan, Wellness, Scenic Area, Recreation, Villa, Taiwan Music, Dongsha, Park, MTB, Taiwan Surf Travel, Amis Locations: Chile , New Zealand, California, it’s, Taiwan, Belgium, Massachusetts, Taroko, Te, lakeview, Taipei, Wulai, Neidong, Beitou, Kenting, Fuji, Canadian, South China, Hong Kong, Philippines, “, County, Hualien City

☆ Almaty, Kazakhstan: How a drab Soviet metropolis became Central Asia’s capital of cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Almaty, Kazakhstan CNN —Several cities around the globe have reinvented themselves in recent years, but none more successfully than Almaty. Since the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan’s largest city (population 2.2 million and growing) has evolved from a drab, run-of-the-mill Soviet metropolis into the urban star of Central Asia. “It’s an incredibly livable city,” says long-time American resident Dennis Keen, a historic preservation advocate and founder of Walking Almaty. Over and underground artThe Abilkhan Kasteev State Art Museum is filled with more than 20,000 works of art. Other good collections include the Ihlas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments (in a Russian-style wooden mansion built in 1908) and the ethnographic artifacts of the Almaty Museum.

Persons: It’s, “, ”, Dennis Keen, ” Keen, “ It’s, Jama Nurkalieva, Charles O, Cecil, Alamy, Auyl, James Talalay, Lukas Bischoff, Keen, Roshcha Organizations: Kazakhstan CNN, Walking, Central, Cathedral, Astana, Tselinny Center of Contemporary, Dynamo, Prix Versailles, Park, Art, Louvre, Art Museum, Ihlas Museum, Folk, Almaty Museum, Eiffel, of Contemporary, Academy of Science, Turkish Airlines, Air Astana, Ritz, Carlton Locations: Almaty, Kazakhstan, USSR, Kazakhstan’s, Central Asia, Walking Almaty, “, Central Asian, China, Europe, Russian, Soviet Union, Shan, Lower Kolsai Lake, There’s, Soviet, Zholy, Almaty Metro, Almaly, Auezov, Istanbul, Beijing, Seoul , New Delhi, Bangkok, Arasan, Otrar, Lanzhou, Novotel, Darejani, Ascension

☆ The gigantic dunes rising up out of the world’s oldest desert
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Angle for Nile perch at Lake Turkana (Kenya)Lake Turkana is the world's largest permanent desert lake. Discover the Force at “Star Wars” film sites (Tunisia)"Star Wars" is brought down to Earth in Tunisia. Alternating between existing structures and sets specifically built for “Star Wars,” scenes from four of the movies were shot on location in Tunisia. Galaxy Tours is one of several outfitters with multi-day guided excursions of Tunisia’s enduring fan-favorite “Star Wars” landmarks. Yvonne Wacht/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesMake like a nomad on a caravan camping trip in the vast Erg Chigaga desert of southern Morocco.

Persons: Salvador Dalí couldn’t, Egypt's, Alexander, Emily H, Johnson, George Lucas, Luke Skywalker’s, Lars Homestead, Hoan, Morocco's, Yvonne Wacht, ” Organizations: CNN, Oasis, Alamy, UNESCO, Washington Post, Heritage, Lobolo, “, “ Star, San, Camp, Fiume Bush, outfitters Locations: Africa, Sahara, Kenya, Namibia, Namib, Xinhua, Egypt, Cairo, Mauritania, Ouadane, Angle, Turkana, Lake Turkana, Namaqualand, South Africa, Cape Town, Tunisia, Sidi Driss, Matmata, Naftah, Fiume, Morocco, muti, Marrakesh, Aït

☆ Sümela, Turkey: The ancient monastery hanging from a cliff
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policyCNN —If its ancient walls could talk, Sümela Monastery in eastern Turkey would have quite a few stories to tell. “The Virgin Mary is a holy person for the Muslim people also. “The sultans considered Sümela a sacred place and helped the monastery by giving the monks donations and more land,” he adds. Sümela was popular with Christian and Muslim pilgrims, and an active Greek Orthodox monastery, until the early 20th century. Many of the Greeks living in the Pontic Alps and nearby Black Sea coast chose to relocate to Greece, including the monks of Sümela Monastery.

Persons: “ We’ve, Levent Alniak, Senol Aktaş, Virgin Mary, Sümela, Jesus, Mary, St, Ignatius, Öznur, who’s, Sümela’s, Barnabas, Sophronios, Luke the, ” Alniak, Soumela Organizations: CNN, Ottomans, Turkish, Rock Church, Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, van, Turkish Airlines, Ramada Plaza, Radisson Locations: Sümela, Turkey, Roman, Trabzon province, “, Sofia, Istanbul, Ottoman, Black, Greece, Sümela Monastery, Altindere, Nea Sumela, Constantinople, Altındere, Trabzon, Coşandere

☆ Turkmenistan’s flaming ‘Gates of Hell’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-30 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Darvaza, Turkmenistan CNN —Rarely does an industrial accident develop into a major tourist attraction. Mysterious originsNo one is quite sure when the gas crater opened, apparently because the Soviet-era reports are missing, incomplete or still confidential. Reaching DarvazaThe gas crater lies a four-hour drive north of Ashgabat, the national capital. Located around a five-minute walk from the crater rim, the camp features yurts with beds and chairs, a shaded dining area and porta-potty/outhouse-style toilets. Garagum lies about a 10-minute walk from the crater rim and even closer to a small rocky mount where visitors can snatch a bird’s-eye-view of the Gates of Hell.

Persons: Hell, Joe Yogerst “, ”, Ged Gillmore, Dylan, wasn’t, George Kourounis, who’s, Kourounis, I’ve, Garagum, “, there’s Organizations: Turkmenistan CNN, Central, Geographic, NASA, futon, CNN Travel Locations: Darvaza, Turkmenistan, Soviet, Central Asian, “, Central Asia, Canadian, Ashgabat, Iwanami_Photos, Bokurdak, Darwaza, porta, Hell

☆ Why Bolivia is Latin America’s next dining destination
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Capital city La Paz boasts three eateries — Gustu, Ancestral and Phayawi — currently ranked among the top 100 restaurants in Latin America. Bolivia’s food revolution has also spread to major cities such as Sucre as well as the Uyuni Salt Flats. Rather than fine dining, the ambience is decidedly casual, the tables spread across three floors of an old wooden townhouse in the boho Sopocachi neighborhood of central La Paz. Courtesy PhayawiZero-kilometer goes widerSucre, the nation’s judicial capital in south-central Bolivia, isn’t as cosmopolitan as La Paz when it comes to food. Courtesy Joe YogerstBut that’s not to say that Bolivia’s food revolution has reached every nook and cranny.

Persons: foodways, —, Marsia Taha, ” Taha, Taha, Joe Yogerst, Gustu, Claus Meyer, Meyer, ”, We’re, Sebastián Giménez, It’s, quinoa, it’s, Guadalupe, Joy, Uyuni, Tania López, López, “, Tika Organizations: CNN, La Paz, La, Nordic, Michelin, Mercado Central, padres, NASA, Hidalgo Tours Locations: Bolivia, South, Capital, Latin America, La Paz, Sucre, Bolivian, Gustu, Danish, Copenhagen, Lake Titicaca, Phayawi, Basque, altiplano, Argentina, San, city’s, El, Bolivia’s, Hidalgo, Sol

☆ The beautiful African paradise islands that most tourists don’t know about
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A couple of African paradise islands have been on the radar of avid world travelers for some time. Shellfish Bay on the island’s windward side shelters one of East Africa’s most spectacular beaches, a crescent of white sand framed by 100-meter dunes. Bazaruto Island Resort, the island’s top digs, can arrange scuba diving and snorkeling, sailing on traditional dhow boats, guided 4x4 wildlife safaris, sandboarding on the dunes and other outdoor activities. Lamu’s best beaches are on the island’s windward side, around a 30–40-minute walk via Shela village. — and an ancient stone nilometer for measuring the river’s water level — reflect the island’s importance during pharaonic times.

Persons: São Filipe, Denis, Ponta, Ariadne Van Zandbergen, Dar es Organizations: CNN, Ethiopian Airways, oneworld, Getty, UNESCO, Heritage, Cabo Verde Airlines, Overseas, Paris Orly, Animalia Museum, Egypt, Vogue, Reserve, Dar es Salam Locations: Mauritius, Seychelles, Canary, Africa, Madagascar, Addis Ababa, Bazaruto, Mozambique, East, sandboarding, Johannesburg, Vilanculos, Lamu, Kenya, Manda, Malindi, Nairobi, JamboJet, Fogo, Cape Verde, Cabo Verde, West Africa, Pico, Verde’s, Praia, Overseas Territory, Réunion, French Caribbean, L’Hermitage, Saint, Paris, Antananarivo, Elephantine, Egypt, Aswan, Bissagos, Guinea, Bissau, Bubaque, Pemba, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Tanga, Dar, FlightLink

☆ The world’s biggest national park is larger than most countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal safeguards the southern slopes of Mt Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet). Venezuela’s Canaima National Park is home to Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall at 979 meters (3,212 feet). Larger than Delaware and roughly the same size as Wales, Yellowstone was considered huge when it became the world’s first national park in 1872. North AmericaSprawling across nearly half of the world’s largest island, Northeast Greenland National Park is currently the globe’s single largest national park and biggest land-based protected area. Imaginechina Limited/Alamy Stock PhotoDespite being the largest continent, Asia has fallen behind in the race for the world’s largest national parks.

Persons: Venezuela’s, there’s, ”, Mette Pike Barselajsen, Mercedes, China’s, Martin Harvey, Naukluft, it’s, Claire Christian Organizations: CNN, National, United Nations, Nanu, South America, Colombia Oculta, Simpson, Mercedes Benz G, Imaginechina, Bank, Getty, Conservation, Antarctic & Southern Ocean Coalition, Antarctic Locations: Nepal, Mt, Angel Falls, Angkor, Cambodia, Delaware, Wales, Yellowstone, North America, Greenland, Ittoqqortoormiit, “, East Greenland, South, Patagonia, Colombia, Australia, South Australia, Asia, Qinghai Province, Europe, Africa, Africa’s, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Antarctica

☆ Camping 101: Things to know before you set out on the road
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The downside of car camping is the fact that these campgrounds are often packed to the rafters with other campers. While RV camping may seem like a recent phenomenon, it’s actually been around for more than 100 years. Among the websites that list RV campgrounds and post very useful user ratings are RVshare/Hipcamp, RV Life and Good Sam. Other than maybe car camping, it requires the least expense and equipment. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has set aside areas for free camping in national forests, national grasslands and BLM-managed lands.

Persons: Millennials, It’s, Pierce, Arrow, Marchi, that’s, Sam, Hemingway, glamping, Joe Yogerst, ” Organizations: CNN, Kampgrounds, Financial, Great Britain Tourism Survey, Goods, Marchi Mobile, Trail, Hollywood, Autocamp, California redwoods, Getty, U.S . Forest Service, Land Management Locations: U.S, Canada, American, Great Britain, Cavan, Germany, Patagonia, Himalayas, South Africa, New Zealand, Europe, Cape Cod, Desert, Glamping, Northumberland, England, Elena, Rio, Big Bend, McCarty, Kenai, Parks

☆ Incredible US national park campgrounds you can’t drive to
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Even though most national park campgrounds are easily accessible by motorized vehicles, some of the coolest digs are in places that you can’t drive to. Below are eight incredible national park campgrounds that you can’t drive to. Bright Angel Campground (Grand Canyon National Park)The Bright Angel campground is located next to a creek at the end of the South Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. Washington Creek (Isle Royale National Park)Washington Creek, part of Michigan's Isle Royale National Park, has 10 camp sites. Sea Camp Beach (Cumberland Island National Seashore)The Cumberland Island National Seashore sits off the coast of Georgia.

Persons: we’re, CNN —, you’ve, doesn’t, Ashley Cooper, John Muir, you’re, Jim West, Weaver, Michael Shi, Joe Yogerst, ” Organizations: CNN, Key West, Yankee, Island Packers, Yosemite Valley, Nature, Washington Creek, Recreation, Washington State, Co, Cumberland, Getty Locations: Florida, Fort Jefferson, Santa Cruz, California, Ventura Harbor, Yosemite, Little Yosemite Valley, Vernal, Nevada, Maui, Palikū, Washington, Michigan's Isle, Lake Superior, Windigo, Isle, Grand Portage , Minnesota, Houghton , Michigan, Chelan, Lake Chelan, Weaver, Beach, Georgia, Stafford Plantation, Parks

☆ South Africa’s most epic hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Here are nine of South Africa’s best multiday backpacking trails:Otter TrailThe coastal Otter Trail takes in some of South Africa's most beautiful coastline. South African TourismSouth Africa’s oldest (established in 1968) and most celebrated hiking route, the Otter Trail runs along the Eastern Cape coast between Storms River Mouth and Nature’s Valley in Garden Route National Park. South African TourismSummit the legendary Drakensberg escarpment on a vertiginous route that rises high above Thendele Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu-Natal province. Distance: About 25 kilometers (16 miles)Time: 2 daysInfo: hikingsouthafrica.co.za/kgaswane-summit-trail/Tsitsikamma TrailThe Garden Route National Park is an advenure sport paradise. Each traverse takes seven to 10 days during the South African spring (September-November).

☆ 10 fascinating theme parks that have closed forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In April, we’re taking a thrilling ride into the world of theme parks. “We think of amusement parks as vibrant, colorful, noisy, cheerful places,” says Jim Futrell of the National Amusement Park Historical Association. Pripyat Amusement Park (Ukraine)The Pripyat Amusement Park was built right before the Chernobyl disaster. Yongma Land (South Korea)Once in a blue moon, abandoned theme parks find new life by adopting totally new functions. Faced with increased competition from Orlando’s modern theme parks, Cypress Gardens closed in 2009 and was eventually absorbed into LEGOLAND Florida.

☆ World’s most beautiful castles
▼ + stars: | 2019-08-07 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

As the UK crowns a new monarch, we’re exploring all things royal, from castles to grand tours. “Castles are places were plots were hatched, marriages were consummated, murders carried out, royal babies born, and so on. With castles, you are never short of fascinating things to talk about.”Read on to find out more about 21 of the world’s most beautiful castles, fortified homes that are both a feast for the eyes and a time trip back to the bygone age during which they were created. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThis classic medieval castle towers above the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. The castle’s vivid red-and-yellow color pattern – and its flashy clock tower – endow Pena with a much more playful air than the somber castles found elsewhere in Europe.

☆ 20 best nude beaches around the world
▼ + stars: | 2018-05-24 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Meanwhile, there are more places than ever to sun, swim or build sandcastles au naturel at clothing-optional beaches on every continent. One of the spin-offs of the socially and sexually liberal 1960s was a “free beach” movement that saw a proliferation of nude beaches around the world. Here are 15 of the best nude beaches around the world:Playa Naturista Chihuahua, UruguayLocated about a 30-minute drive from Punta del Este, Uruguay’s best-known nude beach overlooks Portezuelo Bay on the Atlantic coast. Playa Naturista Chihuahua, Avenida Las Amarras, 20003 Chihuahua, UruguayNida Nude Beach, LithuaniaThe chilly Baltic Sea may not seem like the most obvious place to skinny dip. Platja des Cavallet, 07818, Balearic Islands, SpainLittle Beach, Maui, HawaiiLittle Beach -- a clothing-optional beach in Maui's Makena State Park.

Search resuls for: "Joe Yogerst"

14 mentions found