X is for Xinjiang

Xinjiang is a province in the north west of China, close to Mongolia and Kazhakstan. It contains the Tianshan mountains which were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013 because of their untouched beauty and contrasts, along with being the habitat for a number of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

The caption on the reverse of the card reads, "The Spring of Tianshan Mountains - Zhaosu Army Horse Breeding Farm". It is one of the most beautiful cards I have ever received, very large though at 23 x 11.5 cm (9 x 4.5 in) and difficult to store safely.

M is for Mulu National Park and Malaysia

Mulu National Park is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, this time in Sarawak, Malaysia. It's best known for its enormous caves, and also for these amazing pinnacles and cliffs.

The Mulu Caves Project started in 1977 when the Royal Geographical Society sent 100 scientists there for over a year.  Since then, there have been more than 20 others which you can read about on the Mulu Caves website - there are some amazing pictures there!

Volcanoes of Kamchatka

A double helping of volcanoes.  Both the postcard and the stamp show volcanoes in the Kamchatka region of Russia.  The postcard shows the Gorely volcano with an acid lake, the Blue Lake.  The stamp shows the Karymsky volcano which has been erupting non-stop ever since 2013 and fairly continuously since 1996.

The whole area of the Kamchatka peninsula was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1996 but I'm afraid I hadn't heard of it until this card arrived last week.  There are about 300 volcanoes and of these, 29 are still active.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

The Dolomites

The Lake of Carezza (called Karersee in German) is a crystal clear lake with beautiful colours at the foot of the Latemar, a mountain in the Dolomite range, in north east Italy and part of the Alps.

The Dolomites are a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the spectacular landscape, and also because of the geological significance of the area.

Milking

Traditional style milking in the Alps of France. Traditional milk will no doubt be used to produce traditional local cheeses - Reblochon, Emmental and Beaufort perhaps.

Borobudur Temple

One of the 72 seated Buddha statues which surround the main dome of Borobudur Temple in Indonesia.  The statue is facing the active Merapi volcano which last erupted in March 2014, when this card was sent to me. Merapi can be translated as Mountain of Fire.

The Borobudur Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Buachaille Etive Mor

Some years ago I bought a book of postcards showing scenes in Scotland because I was bored with the local ones available and my excuses were that my husband was Scottish, and secondly I lived in Scotland for 4 years so I can pass as pseudo-Scottish.  I still have a few left and this is one of them.

The card shows Buachaille Etive Mor, (pronounced very roughly booackulla etiv more) which means the big herdsman of Etive.  There is also a small herdsman of Etive, Buachaille Etive Beag.  Some of the scenes from the recent James Bond film, Skyfall, were shot near Buchaille Etive Mor.  It was also used as a location in Braveheart and Highlander.

I had to choose a Scottish card for today because it is Burns' Night, when people celebrate the life of Robert Burns the famous Scottish poet.  And the connection with Buachaille Etive Mor?  There are several burns on Buachaille Etive Mor.  A burn in Scotland is a stream or river.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog, The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

Cannes

A view of Cannes on the south coast of France, the cote d'Azur, and a reminder of summer.  If I'm honest, that type of beach doesn't appeal to me in the lest.  There doesn't appear to be a square inch of free space.  Give me a deserted beach in the winter, that would be my preference.  In the background you can see a distant view of the Alps.

Visitor from Canada

To mark my sister's visit to me, from Canada.  (Her hat is a little different.)

Blueridge Parkway

A beautiful card has appeared in my letterbox from my friend, Odie Langley.  It couldn't have arrived at a better time to cheer me up.  Thank you Odie!

From the back of the card:

The 469-mile parkway preserves the natural and cultural links of Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains' national parks. 

Cingjing Farm

Until I spotted the little Taiwan sign in the bottom left corner, I assumed I'd been sent a card from Switzerland or possibly Austria.  In a way I wasn't too far wrong because the area is often called the Alps of Taiwan.

On the back of the card, in tiny print, it says that this shows the Cingjing Farm.  After a little googling, I found out that it's officially the Cingjing Veterans' Farm where people from the Burmese-Thai-Laotian borders have settled.

Legendary Thailand

There is a legend, with several versions, that there once was a fisherman (or a giant) who lived on the coast of Thailand.  He had a beautiful daughter who both he and his wife, without consulting each other, promised in marriage to two different people.  Or the girl fell in love with a local boy.

When the time came for the girl to marry, both suitors turned up.  In all versions I can find, the poor girl ends up being cut in half and turning into an island or islands.  Then the one of the intended husbands turns into a hill and the traditional gift becomes the Khao Sam Roi Yot (mountains of 300 peaks).

The area is now a national park which shelters several rare species of animals.  Part of it has been nominated as a Ramsar site, dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

Winter in Oregon

The last of the four seasons, or should it have been the first?

From the back of the card:

Snow blankets the ski lodge on the slopes of Mt Hood, making a scene of fantasy through which skiers have made tracks in the 200 inches of snow that have fallen.  The lodge was built during the Great Depression in the 1930s and stands today as a National Historical Site and is the largest wooden structure of its kind.

Mount Fuji times two

Playing catch-up this week, so briefly:  here are two views of the same famous mountain, Mount Fuji in Japan.  The first is one of the very well known 36 views by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.  The second is Mount fuji taken from Mount Shichimen at dawn.

A week for water: 3 The Bay of Kotor

The Bay of Kotor, or Boka Kotorska, in Montenegro is sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, however people who know about these things say it's a canyon or gorge.  Apparently a fjord is made by a glacier whereas a gorge is made by a river.  So there you have it - it's a gorge with high, cliff-like sides.

During the Middle Ages, there was a very important commercial and artistic centre here and the old town and its fortifications are well preserved though they had to undergo considerable restoration after an earthquake in 1979.  Along with the inner bay and surrounding mountains, they are protected as a World Heritage Site.

Although the area is within the Mediterranean zone and has hot dry summers, Mount Orjen, the highest point, receives the heaviest rain in Europe.

Hands up, anyone who knows where Montenegro is, without looking it up first!

Glittertind

Now that spring is here, you may be surprised to find a snowy card appearing, but this is Glittertind, the second highest peak in Norway, and it has snow on its peak all the year round.  Admittedly the snow during the summer months can be very wet, but it's always there.

The name Glittertind is very apt - it means sparkling peak.  Apparently some photographers will camp at the summit waiting for perfect conditions for the photo.  This picture was taken at sunrise.