Photo of the Week: Beautiful Waters of the Bocas Islands, Panama

There is a unique vibe about the Bocas del Toro archipelago in far west Panama, the true gateway to the country for overlanders from Costa Rice.  It's a bohemian calypso feel that even the hardest at heart will enjoy. 

Photo of the Week: Mt Yasur Eruption, Tanna Island, Vanuatu

Mt Yasur is the most accessible live volcano in the world, with eruptions every five to ten minutes.  The 15-minute trek to the crater increases the prospects of a shortened life, but that’s why thousands make it. 

Photo of the Week: The Church of Tisco, Arequipa, Peru

Tisco is one of the highest settlements in Peru's Colca Valley.  This church, built before the 18th-century expulsion of Dominican monks Its geographical location, is distinguished by its red décor, made with ochre. 

Two 16th-century monuments of the Durbar Square of Patan on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami (the birth anniversary of Krishna), when thousands of pilgrims and devotees pay homage at a temple. 

Photo of the Week: the Dazzling Colours of Sunset, The Maldives

As the waves of the Indian Ocean gently lap at your feet and the beach's slowly cooling sands, the sun’s last rays of the day paint the sky with a beautiful range of colours and tones. 

Photo of the Week: Boats Bob in the Waters of Melissani Lake, Kefalonia, Greece

Melissani Lake is a pool of still water in a natural cave.  Given the breathtaking beauty of the caves, they have always been an ideal site for rites associated with the divine. 

Photo of the Week: Fire-Knife Dancing in Samoa

Siva Afi, or fire-knife dancing, is one of the most exhilarating aspects of Samoan festivities.  Although a traditional pre-war ritual that was used to psych up Samoan warrior, it is today a demonstration of agility. 

Photo of the Week: Cheetahs Posing, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Two cheetahs standing ready and vigilant in the rays of another remarkable day at the Selous Game Reserve, the largest ‘unscathed’ game reserve in Tanzania and a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site. 

Earth Hour 2012 – 8:30pm on Saturday 31 March 2012

On Saturday, 31 March at 8:30pm, The Travel Word team will proudly observe Earth Hour by shutting off lights for an hour. 

From its already impressive one-city debut in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 – when as many as 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses hit the swtich for 60 short minutes – Earth Hour this year expects that “hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world” will unite in support of the largest environmental event in history. 

Already, participation this year is set to smash the numbers from Earth Hour 2011.  People in a record 147 countries and territories are preparing to send a collective message – one that could impact more than 2 billion people – that now is the time to take action on climate change. 

Landmarks Go Dark

Earth Hour isn’t just about individuals doing the right thing.  This year scores of major monuments will join the cause.  The Sydney Opera House, the Tokyo Tower and the Great Wall Of China in the East start a rolling spectacle that will take in Table Mountain in South Africa, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Brandenburg Gate and the Cupola of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican in mainland Europe, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in the UK, before sweeping across Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil and Times Square, the Empire State Building and even the Las Vegas Strip in North America. 

Even United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on everyone to join the UN, which will turn off its lights in solidarity with the 20 percent of the world’s population that doesn’t have access to electricity.  The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has also suggested to all World Heritage sites that they switch off their lights. 

New in 2012: People’s Postcode Lottery

New this year is the People’s Postcode Lottery, a community initiative to assist conservation ventures achieve great things for the planet.  Bill Clinton has apparently called it “the best thing I’ve ever seen to involve ordinary people in charitable work.”  Here’s a quick video about it. 

Ethan Gelber

In addition to his freelance travel writing (Lonely Planet author, AFAR Ambassador, Huffington Post Travel blogger and more), Ethan has agitated tirelessly for responsible/sustainable travel practices, a focus on keeping things local, and quality and relevance in publishing and destination marketing.  Among many other things, Ethan is a co-founder of OutBounding (a content curation tool), Destination Accelerator (education and networking for destination marketers) and EcoAdventure Media (support for eco-conscious brands), as well as a co-initiator of the Local Travel Movement (a platform for people passionate about local travel).  For five years, Ethan has been Chief Communications Officer of the WHL Group, the largest local-travel company in the world, for which he founded and edits The Travel Word (this very blog).