Singapore: Botanical Gardens

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 165-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 Thanks to Poornima who was visiting Singapore. 

Singapore : Bird Paradise.

Bird Paradise is an aviary located in Mandai, Singapore. Opened on 8 May 2023, it replaced the Jurong Bird Park and forms a part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, consisting of the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Park.

 Thanks to Ms Poornima J for sending it from Singapore. She has used 2024 one stamp from set of 4,  on Jurong Lake Gardens. The stamp features The Guest House.

Maldives: Coral Reef

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an archipelagic state in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland.

 Thanks to Jacksy and Maya for sending this from Maldives. My first card from Maldives. They have used a stamp showing a fish called Moorish Idol.

Columbia: Cartagena

The city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after Cartagena, Spain, settlement in the region around Cartagena Bay by various indigenous people dates back to 4000 BC. During the Spanish colonial period Cartagena served a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire. It was a center of political, ecclesiastical, and economic activity. In 1984, Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thanks to Jitender who was visiting Columbia with his family. In fact, my first card from Columbia. He has used both stamps from 2018. On the left is one stamp from set of 6 on Catatumbo region. On the right is one stamp from setenent, on 2018, Barranquilla games. This games involves countries from Central America and Caribbean nations.

Hungary: Budapest

Budapest  is the capital and the most populous city of Hungary, and the tenth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits.

Thanks to Mr Lakshman Nayak and Radhika. They have used 2016 'greetings from' stamp from set of 2.

Italy: Lake Como

Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 square kilometres, making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore.

Postcard 1

Thanks to Mr Joseph Chacko.

Postcard 2

Thanks to Dr Kiran Acharya.

Senegal: Dakar

Dakar is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The African Renaissance Monument is a 49 meter tall bronze statue located on top of one of the twin hills known as Collines des Mamelles, outside Dakar, Senegal.

Thanks to Ms Veena Hegde who was visiting Senegal. My first card from Senegal.

Hong Kong: Skyline

The Hong Kong has at least 7,792 high-rise buildings, with no fewer than 1,268 skyscrapers standing taller than 100 m  and at least 308 buildings over 150 m  in height. The tallest of these skyscrapers is the 118-storey International Commerce Centre, completed in 2010, which stands 484 m and is the ninth tallest building in the world. The skyline of Hong Kong is considered one of the best in the world, with the surrounding mountains and Victoria Harbour complementing the skyscrapers. Each evening, at least 44 skyscrapers and buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour light up in a synchronised show called A Symphony of Lights, named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest permanent light and sound festival in the world.

Postcard 1

Thanks to Crissy. Nice Postmark "Post early for Christmas" used.

Postcard 2

Thanks to my friend Mr Sudhir Pai who was visiting Hong Kong. A special cancellation at Peak Post Office depicting the tram can be seen.

Switzerland: Jungfraujoch

Jungfraujoch is a notable saddle in the Bernese Alps, connecting the two four-thousander peaks Jungfrau and Mönch, at an elevation of 3,466 metres (11,371 ft) above sea level. It is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. The Sphinx Observatory, one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world, provides an additional viewing platform at a height of 3,572 metres (11,719 ft).

Postcard 1

Thanks to Mr Prashanth Baliga for posting it from Highest Post office in Europe.

Postcard 2

Thanks to Mr Subraya Pai for sending this from Switzerland.

Finland: Official Porsche Experience Cards

Postcard 1

Postcard 2

Thanks to my friend Mr Anand Pai who was visiting Finland.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Beach

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. Cockburn Town, the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk Island. It is the third largest of the British overseas territories by population.

Thanks to my friend Mr Jitender for sending first card from these islands.

Vietnam: Saigon Opera House

The Municipal Theatre of Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon Opera House, is an opera house in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is an example of French Colonial architecture in Vietnam. 

Thanks Nandu and Jack.

Norway: Tromso

Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The midnight sun occurs from about 18 May to 26 July, but the mountains in the north block the view of it for a few days, meaning that one can see the midnight sun from about 21 May to 21 July. Owing to Tromsø's high latitude, twilight is long, meaning there is no real darkness between late April and mid-August. t is possible to observe aurora borealis (northern lights) from Tromsø, as northern Norway is located in the auroral zone.

Postcard 1

 

Postcard 2

Thanks to my friend Chacko who was visiting Norway.

Nepal: Mount Everest

Mount Everest also known in Nepal as Sagarmatha and in Tibet as Chomolungma, is the earths heighest mountain. Its peak is 8848 meters or 29029 feet above sea level.

Postcard 1

Thanks to my friend Nandu who was visiting Nepal.

Postcard 2

I received these three surprise postcards from Nepal. Thanks to Mr Mamael Narsing Chok of Nepal.

Iceland: Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxa Bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the next decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.

Thanks to my friend Mr Jeetendra who was visiting Iceland. 

Zimbabwe: The Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls, or Mosi-oa-Tunya (Tokaleya Tonga: the Smoke that Thunders), is a waterfall in southern Africa on the Zambezi River at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 metres (354 ft), resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water. It is inscribed in World heritage list.

Postcard 1

Thanks Sidney

Postcard 2

Thanks to my friend Mr Alok Joshi for sending it from Zimbabwe. Hope you guys enjoyed the falls. My first card from Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls Bridge

The Victoria Falls Bridge crosses the Zambezi River just below the Victoria Falls and is built over the Second Gorge of the falls. As the river is the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the bridge links the two countries and has border posts on the approaches to both ends, at the towns of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Livingstone, Zambia. The bridge was prefabricated in England by the Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company, before being shipped to the Mozambique port of Beira and then transported on the newly constructed railway to the Victoria Falls. It took just 14 months to construct and was completed in 1905. The bridge was officially opened by Professor George Darwin, son of Charles Darwin and President of the British Association on 12 September 1905. The American Society of Civil Engineers lists the bridge as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Thanks Sidney.

Zimbabwe: Makishi Dancer

The Makishi masquerade is performed at the end of the mukanda, an annual initiation ritual for boys between the ages of eight and twelve. This ritual is celebrated by the Vaka Chiyama Cha Mukwamayi communities, which include the Luvale, Chokwe, Luchazi and Mbunda peoples, who live in the northwestern and western provinces of Zambia.

Thanks Sidney.