Living among sheep

Just as much New Zealand is full with tourists, much of New Zealand is full with sheep.

Maybe sheep are not the first thing you think of when you hear about New Zealand, but did you know that there are more sheep than people?

There are about 30 million of this animals in New Zealand, approximately seven sheep per people however, is still quite different from 1982, when New Zealand had 70.3 million sheep, or a super impressive 22 sheep for every person!

Although the numbers of sheep has been decreasing a lot they are in almost every part of the country they even have taken over the Hobbit holes that were created for the filming of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

New Zealand people love sheep so much that they  have sheep shearing competitions and they also have an event that would put the Pamplona event to shame, forget about the running of the bulls!  Te Kuiti town has The Running of the Sheep!

In one way or another sheep are all over New Zealand, in its fields, on its dinner menus, flavors in its bags of crisp and they also keep people warm in their boots and jackets!

Latin American people in the USA

The Latin American population has grown through the last century; according to the US Census Bureau in 2013 they represent approximately 16% of the United States total population. They’re the second largest ethnic group in USA and when I was doing my research about them I learnt some interesting facts.  

Most of the USA citizens tend to have some misconceptions about Latinos, they tend to believe that all of them are Mexican, undocumented immigrants and they all speak Spanish. Well, we know that’s not true. Latinos are the people who came from Latin America and that includes Brazilian people who speaks Portuguese. And besides, they’re not all immigrants. Some of them have been there since 1848 when “the border crossed them”, as they like to say.  

Latin Americans have left their mark in the USA through different aspects. One of them has been music. Did you know that Salsa was created in the USA? Well, I didn’t. It was conceived in the mid-60s by Latin American immigrants in New York. They used it to express their identity and though life as latinos. After a warm reception by the audience, the musical genre travelled to Miami to keep on growing.

Some famous Latin American people who have made it in the USA are Benicio del Toro, Carlos Santana, Carolina Herrera, Salma Hayek, Celia Cruz, Gloria Stefan and many others.

By 2060 the Latino population is expected to constitute 31% of the US population. Would you like to be a part of it?

What about the west side of Great Britain?

It’s comprehensible the fact that not everyone talks about Wales, since England captures (almost) all the attention with its interesting landmarks and famous celebrities, but what about the land of some of the most thrilling landscapes on United Kingdom and even possibly Europe?

Wales is a small country with a population of around 3 million, located at the left of England. This country compensate its small size with a very rich history and culture, fascinating natural wonders and some interesting facts worth mention. From towering mountains to splendid shores, Wales is a lively place more known for the image of its countryside, its peaceful inhabitants and the sheep shepherding (being the population of sheep in Wales four times greater than the Welsh population of humans!).

But wait, there is more! Did you know that Wales is believed to have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world? That’s because over the course of the centuries, Wales and England had always been in confrontation, so they had to construct their defenses everywhere, since battles were just around the corner in medieval times. However, in the forthcoming years things did not changed that much. In 1846 the English Government imposed English as a compulsory language in schools, and even banned children speak Welsh, giving punishment to those who do, that’s why currently only 21% of the entire Welsh population of Wales can speak the native language.

Nowadays, Wales is a country that always offers a warm welcome to all the travelers who want to discover the magic of its fields and seas. Probably you will want to visit a town in North Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch, which translates as “The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave” (believed to be the longest place name in the world!).

These and more interesting facts about Wales here: http://www.1stcontact.com/blog/featured-news/20-interesting-facts-wales/

The hero’s home is in Canada

As we all know, the man of red cheeks, full beard, red clothes and black leather boots works so hard all the year to give presents to children who have had a good behavior all year around the world, but what about holidays Santa Claus? Well… this important man for many has got his summer home more than 50 years ago on Canada, it is located in the town of Val-David, to an hour from Montreal (Canada), called "Village du Père Noël".

It was always said that he is a good man and he likes to share with others, this is right because anyone can visit his residence, where you will find snow games, sleds, water activities, outdoor play areas, farm animals, candy canes, magic shows and meet the hero, Mrs. Claus, his reindeer and elves in person and more!

Remember that Santa Claus is watching us all year to know if we are part of the list of good or bad children. If we are good he will give us beautiful gifts that he make in his factory with the help of his faithful elves, but if we are bad he will give us a piece of coal. You don't want that, do you?

Be a good children and do not forget to write your letter to Santa Claus!!

Pink sand beachs in The Bahamas

Beachs with pink sand?

Sounds crazy, but it´s true. In Harbour Island to be precise there are beautiful beaches that have pink sand. Can you imagine something like that? It´s like the dream of a little girl come true.

This little piece of paradise is located off the northeast coast of Eleuthera Island just 55 minutes from Miami. The only city there is Dunmore Town, which was the first capital of the country and has approximately 300 years. You can access Harbour Island, flying from the North Eleuthera Airport and then taking a water taxi . But if you're not a fan of heights, you can also get there by boat from Nassau.

The Harbour Island is an island and administrative district in the Bahamas and is located off the northeast coast of Eleuthera Island. Here you can apreciate this wonderful beach.

How this phenom does happen?

This is due to the eroded particles of precious red corals that give a rosy glow. The waves break these particles and make it a natural dye, giving the sand this color.

I think that this is an amazing phenom, because it´s not normal to see a beach with this color of sand. That makes this place really appealing to turists and makes the beach be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  

Trinidad and Tobago - The Calipso music

Trinidad and Tobago, two islands in the southern Caribbean which share with the US the language and the currency, known for her festivities (the diversity that the country possesses give them festivities throughout the year) and  the music. 

Here was born the steel pan (a musical instrument) and Calypso, a style of Afro-Caribbean popular music born in the early 20th century in the Caribbean and northern Venezuela, it may contain letters in English or French.

Those who interpret calypso have studied the musical culture of Trinidad and Tobago and they integrate the traditional rhythms of calypso, called calypsonians are able to create any song from the historic style of calypso, the lyrics are usually full of social and political message, it would be here in Chile as the Latin Rock during military dictatorship, the only way that political and social minority could manifest. without comparison to calypso music that we hear generally full of good-humored lyrics. More than a musical style the locals feel today this music as a remember that  they are still alive and should celebrate and be thankful for that.

But at some point this type of music it was not well known, but how nice is that this style is found in films like The Little Mermaid with the famous song "Under the Sea" 

See : The Little Mermaid - Under the Sea

Anyone know the participation of this kind of music in film Beatlejuice?

Well... yes, "The Banana Boat Song" and "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)" from Harry Belafonte, the king of the calypso were taken for the sound track of this film, generating in 1988 after more than thirty years its release on vinyl got the best positions on the billboard list.

I invite you to see the participation of this songs, beware of the end of the first video. 

• Beetlejuice - Day-o (Banana Boat Song)

• BeetleJuice - Jump In The Line (Shake Senora)

Even Pitbull did a remix of this song, What do you think about this new version?

• Pitbull - Shake Senora (Audio)

Well, now I know that Calipso is everywhere and pitbull too. I hope you enjoy the videos.