Most of Corfu’s churches were built in the 17th and the 18th centuries, as a result of religious freedoms granted by the Venetians who held sway over the Mediterranean. Most of the churches belonged to guilds or rich families who were able to afford the construction costs. Characteristic features of the Corfiot churches include the style of their facades, influenced by Italian churches of the 16th century, their tower-like belfry and a ceiling decorated with paintings and frescoes.

Corfu Town has only about 20 churches – many of them very small. Because space in the town is limited, they are to be found squeezed in between houses. Corfu’s most famous church is the St. Spyridonas, which was constructed in 1590 and dedicated to Aghios (Saint) Spyridonas. According to legend, he twice performed the miracle of expelling the plague and the Corfiots call him “Αγιος Σπυρίδων ο πολιούχος” – “Saint Spyridon, the Keeper of the City” as a result. His relics are kept here in a silver urn from the 19th Century and four times a year (11 August, first Sunday of November, Palm Sunday and Holy Saturday) his relics are carried around the streets of the city, in memory of the miraculous actions that saved Corfu and its inhabitants.

Another famous church is Pontikonissi which, along with the beautiful Vlacherna Monastery, is one of the best-known postcard motifs of Corfu Island. Pontikonissi is home to the Pantokrator monastery. Its white stone staircase, viewed from afar, gives the impression of a mouse tail which has resulted in the nickname ‘mouse island’ (and not because it’s home of many mice!). The legend says, that this monastery is the stone-still ship of the Faiakes (Corfiots, according to the Homeric epics) as the god Poseidon punished them for providing help to Odysseus.

Vlacherna with its little convent of the Virgin Mary is painted snow white and has a single tall cypress tree. Pontikonissi and Vlacherna, located in Kanoni, are absolute ‘must see’ sights – small taxi boats are available at Vlacherna to take you to Pontikonissi for a small fee.

Another religious site which is well worth a visit is the Byzantine monastery of the Paleokastritsa (West Corfu). Located on a green hill above the bay and dedicated to Panagia (Virgin Mary), it is also called Theotokos monastery. Parts of this monastery date back to 1228; however the current complex, the cells of the monks and the yard are from the 18th century. The monastery houses a small ecclesiastical museum with rare Byzantine icons, holy books and other relics. However, most interesting of all, monks still live here, conducting traditional masses, providing hospitality and offering regular tours of the grounds and museum.

During a trip to Corfu, you must take the time to visit one of the village churches as each location has its own captivating charm. Village churches are mostly placed in the village centre with the village square in front flanked by Kafenions. This is the traditional local gathering place and is also where many festivals are held.

Don’t just pass by. Pop in a Kafenion for a Greek coffee or a tsitsibyra (the tasty Corfiot ginger ale), watch and chat with the locals. You will love it!

Planning a trip to Corfu? Contact Corfu Sunspots, the whl.travel local connection (one of the best whl.travel local experts of 2011), for all expert advice about travel in Corfu, including accommodation, tours, activities and more.

Founded toward the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto became home to a number of very rich Portuguese colonials as a result of the Brazilian Gold Rush. The fortunes of the town went from strength to strength as more and more gold was pulled from the earth by the area’s mines.

Significant investment was made into improving the town, which grew over time to become a prosperous and beautiful city. Its popularity and importance saw the construction of a large number of lovingly designed buildings in the years that followed, including several opulent churches and a dedicated mining school.

While the city’s economic and political importance waned in the centuries that followed – it lost its position as state capital of Minas Gerais shortly before the turn of the 20th century – it has lost none of its beauty. As such, its Old Town was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.

We are nevertheless once again proud to present our Photos of the Year – the travel pictures of the year 2011 that most captured the imagination of The Travel Word team and a group of expert external judges. Unlike our Photo of the Year 2010, this year (2011), we had a tie for first place.

Click on the image below for more information about them. See further below for the judges’ comments about them and the rest of the shortlist.

Krishna Mandir on Krishna Janmashtami, Patan, Nepal

Cheetahs Posing, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

About the Photo of the Week and the Photo of the Year

A bit more than two years ago, we started featuring one picture each week (or, lately, every other week) on The Travel Word. We spotlighted favourite images pulled from our growing collections on Flickr.

We then asked the photographer or owner of each selected Photo of the Week to submit a short and revealing text about it – covering the subject of the photo, the general location, the experience of taking the picture, technical aspects of photography etc.

These text-image combinations have proven to be very popular. We believe that this has a lot to do with the special emphasis we have placed on the honesty of the images, all taken or sourced by our partners, who are local travel experts in their destinations. Through their eyes, and given their knowledge of what makes their homes unique, we felt confident that were discovering something special.

The Shortlist

Our methods were decidedly unscientific. For each month, The Travel Word team singled out one photo of the month. To this list of 12 we added afew wild cards that had made a particular impression on us. This shortlist is what we sent to a group of five skilled photographers for their assessment.

Below are the nine images, ranked in order, that caught the judges’ fancies along with their comments. We thank the judges for their contribution and encourage you to learn more about their work.

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+ WINNERS: PHOTOS OF THE YEAR 2011: Krishna Mandir on Krishna Janmashtami, Patan, Nepal AND Cheetahs Posing, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Comments about Krishna Mandir on Krishna Janmashtami, Patan, Nepal, photo and text by Navin M. Shrestha:
“This photo does an excellent job of capturing both the manic movement of the crowd and the ethereal nature of the temple.” — Mike Richards

“Here’s a unique image of the Durbar Square of Patan that not only does a good job of displaying the beauty of the temple of Lord Krisha, but bringing the square to its full cultural context by choosing to photograph it on Krishna Janmashtami (the birth anniversary of Krishna), full of devotees, prayer and a long enough exposure that bleeds the light and gives the scene a more spiritual climate.” — Arog Vila

“This picture is amazing for the fact that at first glance it could reflect a scene dating back centuries. Truly a timeless shot.” — Matt Stabile

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Comments about Cheetahs Posing, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, photo by Ward Graham, accompanying text by Shafina Bandali:
“Luck is the final element, together with well-studied technique, good planning and plenty of patience, that results in this gorgeous golden-hour capture of two cheetahs looking back at us. This image has a rich tonal range accentuated by a pronounced vignette, which in this case does more than spotlight the cheetahs, it completes the interplay of light within the frame.” — Arog Vila

“Great light, composition and pose, it’s almost tells the viewer that these wild cheetahs are longing for some patting.” — Rafael Pinho

“From a technical perspective, the depth of field and vignetting are just right to single out the pair of cheetahs. They appear curious, ominous and regal all at once.” — Mike Richards

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+ RUNNERS UP: Church of Tisco, Arequipa, Peru AND Beautiful Waters of the Bocas Islands, Panama

Comments about the Church of Tisco, Arequipa, Peru, photo by Alberto Gonzalez, accompanying text by Mariel Gonzalez:
“Travel photography at its best evokes faraway experience in a single image, and this shot of a remote Peruvian church does just that: the totemic ochre ornamentations and roaming landscape transport the viewer to the high fields, far from home.” — Linus Gelber

“Just the right amount of grunge and color provide a contemporary artistic take on a classic stone structure.” — Mike Richards

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Comments about the Beautiful Waters of the Bocas Islands, Panama, photo by ATP, accompanying text by Melissa:
“Transparent green water makes any destination appealing, even if it’s all there is to it. This image portrays the dream-like environment all urbanites long for.” — Rafael Pinho

“I’m a sucker for visions of tropical paradise, probably because I so rarely experience tropical paradise. A jetty with amenities, lifted above clear entrancing waters, with balmy skies above – does it get better than this?” — Linus Gelber

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OTHER FAVOURITES OF OUR JUDGES:

+ Sleepy Lions, Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda, photo by Steve Cunliffe, accompanying text by Nicola Swann

Comment:
“As anyone who has gone on safari knows, finding lions is the ultimate reward, and to find them in such a natural state must have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Oddly enough, this also looks like my family’s living room after Thanksgiving dinner.” — Matt Stabile

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+ The Children of Yakel Village, Tanna, Vanuatu, photo and accompanying text by John Nicholls

Comment:
“Seven strange children range along the ladder entrance to a treehouse home on Tanna Island; they may never hold an Xbox controller or argue the merits of teen fashion, but they smile, gaze, consider and go about their business just like children anywhere else. The wild differences highlight that we are, at heart, pretty much the same.” — Linus Gelber

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+ Smile from a Little Girl, Cusco, Peru, photo by Pieter Roos, accompanying text by Fernando Carrasco

Comments:
“This heartwarming portrait of a little girl is technically sound and beautifully communicative of the colorful personality beyond the girl’s colorful costume. An image that is very easy to connect with, well done!” — Arog Vila

“This girl’s amazing smile reminds me of what is truly great about travel: the people.” — Matt Stabile

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+ Migratory Birds, Lijiang, China, photo and accompanying text by Lily Zhang

Comment:
“A skein of geese, which might have just recently taken off, before forming a V, makes this a chaotic but amusing composition where each element has a certain clumsiness to it.” — Rafael Pinho

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The Judges

We sincerely thank our five judges for the time and effort taken to review our shortlist. We value their opinions and their readiness to share them with us. Please take a moment to check out their work.

Linus Gelber is a photographer from New York City, where he shoots cityscapes and live performances (notably burlesque) and sees way too many movies, if such a thing is possible. His work is represented by Getty Images. Linus would like to go to Antarctica one day, and if you knew how he felt about New York winters you’d think that was weird too.

Born in Brazil, Rafael Pinho took up photography after finishing his architecture studies. He set out as a freelancer in 2005 in Belo Horizonte and spent the following years between Berlin, New York, Reykjavík and São Paulo. His work has been shown at the Florence Biennale (2011) and the Biennale di Roma (2012) and appeared in the The Wall Street Journal, Modern Painters (US), Forum AID (Sweden), FFW Mag! (Brazil), Nýtt Líf (Iceland), Trip and Tpm (Brazil).

Mike Richard is the editor of Vagabondish. He lives in Rhode Island – a spit of land in the northeastern US - where he is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats, small, declarative sentences and speaking in the third person.

Matt Stabile founded and runs TheExpeditioner.com, through which you can read his writings, see his videos, purchase the book he co-edited or contact him via email at any time.

Arog Vila is a New York-based photographer who developed his unique aesthetic and rule-breaking composition studying at the International Center of Photography, the New School and the School of Visual Arts. He delivers crisp and edgy images of photojournalistic human narrative, pointing his camera on the expected from an entirely new angle, then turning to the unusual and connecting it to something familiar and beautiful.

Travellers to Phnom Penh can learn about the Cambodian Genocide by visiting the Killing Fields and the notorious prison “S-21,” now known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

S-21 was originally a school before it was converted into a detention center in 1975. People deemed enemies of the Khmer Rouge (doctors, teachers, monks – amongst others) were interrogated and tortured here before being shipped to the killing field to be executed.

After the Khmer Rouge fled, S-21 and its startling photonegative archive were discovered. All prisoners had their photo taken upon arrival. Male, female, infant to elderly – hundreds of stark black-and-white portraits of the victims now line the museum walls. It is a moving, eye-opening display and has become an iconic memorial of the genocide.

A visit to the Killing Fields and S-21 is a must while in Cambodia, not only to learn Cambodian history, but to learn our history. While the Cambodian temples of Angkor Wat reveal the greatest of human accomplishment, S-21 and the Killing Fields remind us of our failings – giving us an opportunity to grow.

The dance has been described as a form of meditation and it’s easy to see why. The dancers commit themselves so fully to the rite that the movements and noise take on a mantra-like quality. Through repetition and ritual, the monks approach a trance state.

Many of the scenes portrayed as part of the dance depict events from the life of Guru Rinpoche (also known as Padmasambhava, or Padum) and offer its practitioners the opportunity to feel a sense of unity with the most holy guru. Other dances depict specific events from the other points in the history of Tibetan buddhism.

The Tshechu, held at different times in different parts of the country, is an annual event in Bhutan and neighbouring countries, although some aspects of the celebration are banned in Tibet itself. The festivals take place over a four-day period, allowing local people to come together in celebration and religious worship. Due to the diffuse nature of Bhutan’s population, the festivals provide an important opportunity for socialising, bonding and trading to take place.

The Thimpu Tshechu is one of the largest and most impressive Tshechu events and takes place in the capital city of Bhutan in early October every year.

Why not visit Bhutan at the time of the Thimpu Tshechu? Take the trip of a lifetime with Innerbhutan, the whl.travel local connection in Bhutan. Contact them for details.

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The Gur-e Amir (which translates to ‘tomb of the king’) is steeped in both rich architecture and legend. Its construction began in 1403 after the death of Temor’s most beloved grandson, who is also buried there. The Persian-style building features a single turquoise copula, ribbed and detailed with ornate rosette pattern. The dome tops an octagonally-shaped building that is also highly detailed with ornamental mosaics and epigraphs.

Is Temur really buried in this mausoleum? In 1941, the tomb was unsealed to verify the remains as Temur’s. The excavation was successful in the sense that the skeleton’s damage matched descriptions of the injuries Temur received in battle that caused his death and confirmed that the remains are indeed his.

On the occasion when this picture was taken, we were visiting the park, staying at Gorah Elephant Camp, one of the luxury camps found within the park, and were on an afternoon safari. We came across these lions a few hundred meters from the camp. They were on their way to the camp to overnight with two other lionesses and the big dominant male, which was on the periphery. The young male shown here was reaching an age at which he would be kicked out of the pride fairly soon and was probably savouring the last few weeks or months with his family.

During the evening we enjoyed dinner and then were escorted to our tented rooms for the night by our ranger. We heard the pride of lions all night, grunting and roaring, clearly letting the rest of the animal kingdom know where they were and who was “King of the Addo”. Early the next morning, we found the pride again on our safari; they were very relaxed and did not seem very interested in moving on. Lions do sleep about 20 hours of the day away, so it was no surprise.

Visiting the Addo National Park is a must for any visitor venturing up or down the Garden Route of South Africa, as it offers a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a safari before or after the scenic drive along our southeastern coastline. Various accommodations, from budget to luxury, can be found around the Addo National Park, as well as in Port Elizabeth, as the park is only about 80 kilometres from the “Friendly City”, as it is locally known.

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is part of a province of the same name situated in the far west of Panama. The province shares a border with Costa Rica and for many young tourists travelling across the Americas, it is the true gateway to Panama.

There is a unique vibe about the archipelago, a bohemian calypso feel that even the hardest at heart will enjoy. It is a colourful island with much to do, be it just soaking in the sun or visiting nearby attractions.

The picture above was taken at Coral Cay (or Crawl Cay as it is locally known), about 20 minutes by boat from Isla Colón/Bocas Island. The Cay is appropriately named after the abundant coral reefs that surround it. It is one the best places to snorkel and a great place to have lunch if you wish to do so in a spectacular environment.

The mighty temples, pictured here, have made the name of Abu Simbel internationally famous since their rediscovery in the early 19th century. Originally constructed during the reign of Ramesses II in the mid 13th century BCE, the temples were lost in the shifting sands of the Nubian desert for many centuries.

Despite being restored, the temples were faced with a new threat. The construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened to drown the monuments in the waters of Lake Nasser. An ambitious relocation project was undertaken that saw the temples relocated stone by stone to a dedicated site on higher ground nearby.

Estimated to have cost in the region of $40 million, the project guaranteed the protection of the Abu Simbel Temples for future generations. The structures are now protected as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are some of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Egypt.

Regular tours and excursions visit the site from the nearby cities of Luxor and Aswan.

This photo was taken in the Bizorriah Area, which is located next to the Ummayad Mosque – the Great Mosque of Damascus. This holy building’s distinctive dome and minarets can provide a fixed point of reference for those lost in the area around Old Damascus’ Al-Hamidiyah Souq, or shopping area. Glancing skyward and catching a glimpse of the bright, white stone allows you to orient yourself, preventing a shopping trip from turning into an escape attempt. This trick won’t work in the souq itself, however, as it is covered with a fabulous roof to provide shade from the heat of the midday sun.

Historically, Damascus was a key stop on the spice route, which brought exotic concoctions from across all of Asia. Merchants would operate out of the city, venturing to China and India on marathon journeys that could take years to complete. Their journey was fraught with peril, but also promised great riches for those who dared to take the risk.

Nowadays, spices are a lot easier to get your hands on, but still offer the tantalising thrill that drew men across continents in years gone by.

A major draw is the opportunity to compete in a unique and spectacular environment. Forget the endless fire roads and jeep-track climbs that some races tend to rely on, where road-bike endurance tends to matter more than MTB skill. The Induna MTB Challenge provides an entirely different challenge for riders to get their teeth into.

Known for its hand-cut trails that snake through the forest, the course serves up a difficult mix of short sharp climbs, rock shelves, rooty drops and tricky switchbacks. Add a few shallow water crossings and even some single tracks beaten flat by hippos and you can see that the riders have their work cut out for them.

The Lowveld’s warm winter climate provides a comfortable environment for those who choose to camp at the race venue. As excitement builds before the race, the community spirit of the riders and spectators is a jovial and rewarding experience.

For those not up for competing, the race is an incredible event just to be around. But if you are looking for something to get the adrenaline pumping, there are plenty of activities available in the Western Kruger area.

Kata also has much more of a village feel to it, with an enjoyable evening atmosphere. Nightlife in the area is fairly low-key, but the bright lights of Patong are only 20 minutes up the coast if you feel like dancing the night away.

The long-tail boat featured here is a super-sized version of what is now becoming a traditional means of water transport in Thailand. Long-tail boats are named for their unusual appearance, with the propeller mounted on a drive shaft that extends several metres beyond the rear of the boat, giving it a ‘long-tailed’ appearance.

It’s a great way to travel from bay to bay around Phuket or to explore the island from a different vantage point. Long-tail boats can be found off most beaches and can be hired by the hour or for tours. Smaller version of these boats ply the canals and waterways throughout Southeast Asia, a common mode of transport.

Living what some outsiders would consider a feral existence is normal to the children of Yakel, a Kastom village on the island of Tanna in the Vanuatu archipelago.

The settlement is referred to locally as a Nambas village – the Nambas being the sole item of apparel worn by men, hiding their private parts. This means that the village rejects everything introduced by the Western world. The children shown in the picture below will never go to school. Their clothing, food and entertainment will be provided solely by the forest in which they live.

Visiting Yakel, or other Kastom villages in Vanuatu, is partaking in a voyage where time is of no consequence, where birthdays do not exist as there is no way of remembering this or any other event marked on a calendar – even if the residents had any inclination to record anything. One male from the village will be chosen to receive sufficient education in either English or French to act as an interpreter and guide to the outside world. Many of the Yakel villagers do not even speak Bislama, the creole language used throughout the archipelago.

The  Yakel tribe performs dances for visitors and sells handmade carvings to raise cash for basic tools such as machetes, axes, pots, pans and medical equipment, and to maintain the one old truck that services the tribe, a group consisting of around 700 people.

There’s an old story that in the past a chief was asked by his community “What do you do with all the money we collect?” The chief happily displayed his pride and joy – a mattress made of weaved Pandanus leaves and stuffed with currency notes from all over the world. He had not known what to do with all the strange-looking ‘White-Man leaves’. Rightly, he believed this was better than sleeping on the ground at his advanced age. Nowadays, the money is kept in a bank.

There are many other villages in Vanuatu where one experiences a spontaneous friendliness, dancing and indigenous art, and many of these can be visited as part of an organised tour. There are also many accommodation options that allow visitors to experience several different perspectives of life on Tanna.

The town lies huddled at the foot of Mt Lovcen, at the farthest end of the Bay of Kotor and, although palms and olives surround the Old Town, the high mountains casting their shadows give it a mysterious and memorable look.

A small marina of the city of Kotor is based just in front of the main city gates (where the vegetable and fish markets are held) and the mighty 20-metre ramparts that shield Kotor’s Old Town from the waterfront. Kotor marina attracts many big cruisers and luxurious yachts from early spring until the end of autumn. This is the view of the marina in the evening hours. The photo is taken from the terraces of Galion Restaurant, a famous fish restaurant with the splendid view of the town.

The Pampas de Tocra of Peru are home to a large proportion the vicuña population of Colca Canyon, one of the country’s most reputable adventure traveller’s havens. Once a year the local people here celebrate a festival called Chacu, an ancient tradition that involves herding and fencing the wild vicuña into a ‘corral,’ where the community works together to cut the animal’s precious fibre to be sold. The wool is widely regarded as one of the highest quality natural fibres in the world and is prized for its warmth, especially in the cold Andean winter.

The Tocra community is one of the last in the world devoted exclusively to the keeping of grazing animals. Each family specialises in the husbandry of a particular animal, whether vicuñas themselves or their close relatives, the llama or the alpaca. The Salinas and Aguada Blanca nature reserve is on the road to Colca Canyon and is one of the best locations to spot vicuñas in the wild.

This entire area has a great deal to offer visitors: beautiful, rugged landscapes and a very interesting local culture to match. Tocra has developed special tours for people who especially enjoy experiencing the natural environment, including birdwatching and llama treks.

The Chacu Festival takes place around November 15 and travellers to Colca Canyon are sure to receive a welcome as warm as vicuña wool.